


Lessons Learnt

by alayneni



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2018-08-30 03:11:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 98,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8516242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alayneni/pseuds/alayneni
Summary: After another particularly nasty fight with his father, Tommy Merlyn was ordered to fly to Switzerland. Not wanting to cave to his father's wishes, he decides to follow his best friend, Oliver Queen, and board the boat, The Queen's Gambit, to China. Tommy got a lot more than he bargained for and after five years away, he and Oliver have returned to discover things are vastly different from the way they left it.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Arrow. For those of you that regularly read my stories, this one will be rated M.

**Chapter 1 - The Beginning**

To the outside world there was much to envy about Tommy Merlyn. He was the son of a billionaire, with great looks and multiple women hanging off each arm. His best friend was Starling City's other playboy extraordinaire, Oliver Queen, and between the two of them, they got into endless trouble that they were never held accountable for. Anything Tommy wanted he got. One day he had a Mercedes, the next he had an Audi. It was no big deal to him. Party in New York one night then in Paris another. He seemingly lived a life on the go with not a care in the world.

The reality was life as Tommy Merlyn was not all it was cracked up to be. He hated his life. He lost his mother when he was eight and though his father was still alive, he lost him too. His father was completely consumed by his grief and he disappeared for two years leaving him in the care of his nannies. When his father returned he was a completely different man. Gone was the father that would read him bed time stories, the father that would smile at him, the father that made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. In his place was a cold bitter man that expected Tommy to fall in line. Malcolm Merlyn would continue to move in and out of Tommy's life over the next decade. It was the reason Tommy Merlyn was seen all over the country. He was trying to be as far away from the man as possible. The only constant in his life was his best friend Oliver Queen. It was his loyalty to Oliver that got him into trouble with his father again.

"Tommy, why on earth would the two of you think that bathing naked in the fountain in front of Starling City's Police Department was a good idea! Especially when Detective Lance, despises the two of you!" his father yelled.

"Dad," Tommy tried to defend himself.

"This is not good enough Thomas," his father spat at him.

Tommy looked away, he was never good enough for his father these days. Tommy felt a sharp pain across his face and he realised that his father had slapped him.

"You are to listen to me when I'm talking to you!" his father continued to yell.

Tommy was in shock. Despite all of his father's mean comments and threats to cut him off in the past, he had never ever hit him before.

"I do not want any further embarrassment. I have an important deal to close. I'm sending you to Switzerland. You used to love the lodge there when you were younger. I also believe there is a supermodel shoot going on nearby so you will be well entertained."

Malcolm presented Tommy with the first class ticket to Switzerland.

"What the screw-up is not allowed to use the private jet anymore," Tommy fired back acrimoniously.

Malcolm raised his finger and pointed it threateningly at Tommy, "Don't test me. I need the jet. First class is more than good enough for you. Try not to screw too many flight attendants while you're on board."

Tommy grabbed the tickets and headed straight to the waiting limo.

**S-2**

Tommy was supposed to go to the airport but when the car stopped at an intersection for a red light he jumped out. He made the driver pop the trunk and he grabbed the suitcase with his stuff that his father would have had packed for the trip. If his memory served him correctly the docks were 4 blocks away and Robert Queen's boat, _Queen's Gambit,_ was setting sail in an hour. Oliver was supposed to accompany his father to China on the boat. Tommy had told him boats sucked but they sucked a lot less than doing Malcolm's bidding.

After a brisk walk and some close calls with a few homeless people, Tommy found Sara Lance on the dock. Tommy shook his head in disappointment. Oliver was about to make a colossal mistake and as his best friend it was his job to intervene. Tommy knew Oliver didn't want to move in with his girlfriend Laurel Lance, Sara's older sister, but cheating on her with her younger sister was not the way to go about convincing her to let the idea go.

"Sara this is a bad idea," he told the younger Lance. He would deal with her first and then Oliver later.

"Hardly, this is going to be the best time of my life," Sara responded.

"It would permanently ruin your relationship with your sister. Do you really want to be that girl on the soap opera that sleeps with everyone? Come on Sara, you're better than that. I know you love your sister," Tommy reasoned with her.

"Tommy, what Oliver and I choose to do with each other is none of your business," Sara fired back.

Running out of options, Tommy decided to go with the one thing that would convince her not to go, "I'll call your father. Even if you manage to set sail before he reaches here, he'll get the coast guard to drag you back. You really want that embarrassment. How do you think Robert Queen would take that delay in his business trip?"

"You don't fight fair Merlyn," Sara whined, stomping her foot on the pier.

"Guess I have learnt something from my father after all," Tommy said bitterly.

Tommy watched the younger Lance trudge away. He turned towards the beautiful luxury yacht that was floating innocently next to the dock. His father wanted him gone, he would do it on his own terms.

**S-3**

Oliver arrived with his father ten minutes before the boat was supposed to set sail. He headed straight to his cabin. If things had gone according to plan, a very naked Sara Lance would be waiting for him on his bed. His enthusiasm crashed to zero when he found his best friend lying flat on his back watching ' _Girls Gone Wild_ '.

"Tommy what are you doing here?" Oliver said with barely concealed anger.

"Oh just preventing my best friend from making the biggest mistake of his life. I sent her home Ollie. I can't believe you though. Out of all the shitty things to do to Laurel, you want to cheat on her with her sister. Did you really think Laurel would not find out about Sara?"

"It doesn't matter what I was thinking. Please tell me you have two supermodels hiding somewhere in here?" Oliver asked.

"Nope," Tommy replied with a cheeky grin. "It's just us."

"Then you ruined my trip!" Oliver sulked.

Tommy shrugged. "I guess we have time to figure out your Laurel situation and which of us is better at Go Fish."

"I thought you said yacht's suck, why are you here?" Oliver asked.

"Another fight with my father, this one a bit more physical than the others," Tommy remarked drying pointing to his cheek which had a slight red tinge to it. "He thinks I'm off in Europe now. Can't wait to call him from China." Tommy smiled widely and picked up a glass of champagne next to him, "Champagne?"

"He hit you!" Oliver asked aghast.

Tommy shrugged, "Forget about it. I certainly will." He pulled out a deck of cards. "So who's dealing first?"

Oliver was totally telling the Captain to get them to China ASAP. This was probably going to be the worst two weeks of his life.

**S-4**

The following morning Robert Queen was seated at the breakfast table on the main deck when Tommy appeared. He was quite surprised to see him with Oliver.

"You look more surprised to see me than Oliver was?" Tommy commented dryly.

"I am. I was positive that my son would have snuck Laurel on board not his best friend," Robert stated calmly.

"You're not too far off that assumption," Tommy said only to be elbowed by Oliver.

Robert rested his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers, letting his index fingers rest against the bottom of his chin. That posture was never a good sign. "This could be very interesting. Sort of an extended version of the first hockey match I took the both of you to," Robert said sounding oddly happy.

Oliver and Tommy looked at each other. Something was up.

"I'm not scrubbing the deck," Tommy blurted out.

Robert gave them a large smile, "I brought on board a lot of reading material about the company I'm going to do business with in China. I think perhaps the two of you might read and summarise the material for me. It would be great business experience for you especially in light of the fact that neither of you seem to be able to stay in college long enough to complete one term."

"What? I thought we could just play Go Fish?" Tommy whined.

"How about we actually learn to fish instead? The Captain promised to teach me to use a fishing rod," Robert said rising from the breakfast table and walking across the cabin to a pile of boxes secured on the port side. He opened the box and pulled out two large black ringed binders. He placed one in front of Tommy and the other in front of Oliver, "Your assignments for today. I expect my summaries before dinner."

Both boys groaned. "Dad this isn't what I had in mind for my trip."

"I can always throw the dead weight overboard," Robert threatened.

"You wouldn't!" Oliver protested.

"Who would know?" Robert countered looking out the windows of the cabin. There was no sign of land or another boat for as far as they could see.

Tommy opened his binder and started reading.

**S-5**

They were one week into their journey. It had been going better than expected. Tommy was in the main cabin reading an article that Robert had given him about the factories in China.

"Tommy," Robert said disturbing him.

"I'm almost finished Mr. Q," Tommy said affectionately.

"Take your time, I wanted to talk to you about something else," Robert taking a seat opposite the young Merlyn.

Tommy looked up, "Where's Oliver?"

"He caught something big on his fishing rod. It could take hours to reel it in, assuming it doesn't break the line," Robert said.

"You wanted to speak to me without Oliver," Tommy guessed.

"I wanted to talk to you about your father Tommy," Robert explained with a serious face.

Tommy tensed immediately. He didn't like talking about his father at all. He instinctively clenched his fists.

"I know things have been difficult," Robert started.

"Difficult is putting it mildly. This entire China deal of yours is nowhere near as difficult as my father is," Tommy said spitefully.

"Your mother's death hit him hard Tommy," Robert reminded him. "It fundamentally changed who he was as a person. He let his grief completely devour him until everything that Rebecca had loved about him disappeared. Your father died with your mother. I'm sorry he wasn't strong enough to be the father you deserved but he does love you in his own way," Robert said.

Tommy snorted in disbelief. The only thing that man loved was Merlyn Global. When his father returned from wherever it was that he went to mourn he poured all of his time into the company. "I doubt that," Tommy replied.

"He does Tommy. Everything he is doing right now, is to protect you. All of his projects are to make sure you're safe and that what happened to Rebecca will never happen again," Robert insisted. "I may not see eye to eye with him on the way he's going about getting change in our society but I can't deny that a change is needed. Someone has to stand up and do the right thing."

Tommy looked Robert straight in his eyes, "That will never be my father."

Robert sighed, "Maybe one day you'll understand."

Tommy looked out the window at the vast Pacific Ocean. There were no boats in sight. Just the white caps and ocean spray. Nearby a fish jumped out of the water followed by a much larger fish which swallowed it straight in its mouth. His father didn't love him. His father was like that big fish, swallowing everything good Tommy had in his life.

**S-6**

Tommy was in Oliver's cabin with a deck of cards. This might be the thousandth game of Go Fish they were playing.

"I could be getting laid at this moment but instead I'm playing Go Fish with my best friend," Oliver whined for what must have been the thousandth time.

"I'm positive you will thank me in the future for saving your relationship with Laurel," Tommy said to him. "I expect to be the best man at your wedding."

"Wedding? How can I marry Laurel? You have no idea what sex with Sara is like. She's willing to do so many things that Laurel isn't!" Oliver told him. "I'm sure at this very moment, she could have be coming up with something innovate to do that included a bottle of champagne."

"Just look on the bright side, the Captain said that because we're pushing the boat a bit faster than usual we are ahead of schedule. If we were where we were supposed to be we would have been caught in that storm," Tommy reasoned.

"This boat can handle that storm," Oliver replied.

"I suppose so but I should probably get some sleep. Your dad wants me to read last year's financial reports and look for anything that company may be hiding," Tommy said.

Oliver looked at his best friend, "You're enjoying this?"

"It's not as hard as I thought it would be. Or maybe it's just easier without the weight of my father's expectations on my back," Tommy said before changing the subject, "You really took to fishing with your father," he pointed out.

Oliver nodded, "We were both on even ground when we started learning. It's kind of nice to actually be better at something than him."

"And I'm sure you enjoyed it when the Captain yelled at your father for getting his fishing line wrapped around the propeller of the boat!" Tommy said standing up

"That was brilliant! The best moment of my life thus far," Oliver said.

"Your father's face was priceless," Tommy admitted.

Both guys laughed. "I suppose it hasn't been that bad," Oliver admitted.

"I suppose so. I'll see you tomorrow morning," Tommy said closing the door.

Oliver leaned back on his bed. His father had him reviewing QC's costs to run factories in the States. It wasn't as hard as his college classes had been. He didn't know if it was because his father was teaching him or if it was because he was actually sober and paying attention. Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the boat and Oliver was thrown from his bed as the boat listed quickly to one side. Water started pooling into this room. Things happened swiftly after that. One moment he was fighting against the water to get to his cabin door and up to the main deck and the next, he was in the water watching the Gambit go down. A life raft with his father, Tommy and The Captain spotted him and he was pulled into it with them.

The sun dawned bright the next morning. There was no sight of land or boats that could help them. A count of their supplies revealed only six water bottles and two granola bars. They were just beginning to realise how much trouble they were really in.

"I agree Tommy, yachts suck," Oliver said as he looked hopelessly out at the flat horizon.


	2. The Prodigal Sons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Arrow.

**5 Years Later**

A scrappy looking Oliver Queen ran through the jungle at a pace. A boat engine hummed in the distance and he wasn't losing this chanceto finally get off the island. He had spent enough time there. He ran through thick bush ignoring the way the branches scrapped at his arms. He had grown very accustomed to pain in the last five years. He came to a ledge that had a twenty foot jump but he didn't even hesitate for a moment. He jumpedstraight off the ledge grabbing on to the branch of a tree and swinging forward to land in more bush. He kept running coming to a steep rock face that he didn't hesitate to climb up. At the top he could see the fishing boat trawling halfway across the bay for fish to feed the mainland. He ran along the top of the rock structure till he came to a site prepared with a bow and arrows. He picked up an arrow and scraped the head against the stone. The spark caused the end to catch fire. He knocked it to his bow and drew the string back. The arrow arched through the air towards a large bonfire he had set up on the beach below. It caught fire in a blaze of glory.

All he had to do now was wait, which admittedly he was terrible at. He watched the boat carefully. If for some odd reason it ignored the bonfire he would have to rebuild it from scratch and for some odd reason that annoyed him more than the boat turning away. A thrill of relief shot through him when the boat turned towards the beach. He grabbed the horn he had around his neck and raised it to his lips. He blew one long note. A couple of seconds later, there was an answer. He was coming. The boat came further into the bay and dropped its anchor. A smaller craft was launched to come ashore and investigate. As Oliver was making his way down to the beach, his friend joined him.

"Dammit, I was really hoping I would spot them look at you and they'll run for the hills," Tommyjoked.

Oliver scoffed at his friend. The one thing that hadn't been damaged during their ordeal was their friendship. The time on the island had only forged it into and unbreakable bond. Tommy was the only person that Oliver trusted and could be his true self around."At least I don't have an actual bird's nest in my hair," Oliver said reaching his hand up and pulling twigs out of his best friend's unruly long hair. Oliver's own hair was long and shaggy and his beard touched his chest. His clothes were the definition of a pile of rags and he could only wonder what his mother would say if she saw him in his current attire.

"Hey give that back," Tommy said pulling the twigs out of Oliver's hand and carefully arranging it back into his hair.

"And you think I'm the one with mental issues," Oliver quipped.

"You are. Only a well adjusted male can pull off birds nest!" Tommy said pointing to the mess on top his head.

"Shut up and don't look like a fool. The boat is almost here and I really want to get off this island," Oliver ordered.

Tommy rolled his eyes at his friend and watched the boat get closer to shore. After a little bit of explaining to a crew that barely spoke English, they were on their way. Oliver looked back at the island as it slowly grew smaller on the horizon. Five years ago, in that life raft, when the two of them saw the island looming on the horizon, they thought they had found salvation. Oh how wrong they were.

**S-2**

Malcolm Merlyn was seated around the dining table with his wife, Moira Merlyn and daughter, Thea Merlyn when his phone started to ring. He glared at the offending object. All of his associates knew not to disturb him between seven and eight pm, the hour that he ate dinner with his family. The caller ID identified it as his Executive Assistant. He put the phone on speaker to answer it.

"This had better be important," he stated. His tone carried an undertone that promised bad things if it wasn't.

"I assure you it is Mr. Merlyn. I just got off the phone with the State Department. 12 hours ago Tommy Merlyn and Oliver Queen were found alive on a small island in the North China Sea," she stated in a professional voice. There was not a hint of excitement or happiness for Mr. Merlyn.

Moira's cutlery dropped on her plate. "My baby boy is alive?" she asked disbelief clear in her voice.

"They are alive Mrs Merlyn. The embassy in Beijing is arranging for them to be flown home as we speak. When they arrive they will be taken to Starling General for a proper medical assessment," his assistant explained to him.

"Thank you for the good news," Malcolm said with a genuine smile, probably his first one since his first wife Rebecca died nearly twenty years ago. He cut the call and looked at his wife and daughter. "It seems we need to make preparations to expand our evening dinner to include two more."

Moira offered him a small smile while Thea looked delighted at the news. For the first time since he married Moira, he allowed both her and Thea to finish dinner early.

**S-3**

As soon as Malcolm granted them leave from the table, Moira immediately retired to her room that turned on the TV to the breaking news that Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn had been found alive on an island on the North China sea. She let the tears that she had held back at the dinner table fall. Oliver was alive, her son was alive. There was still hope for Robert's legacy. A familiar surge of pain shot threw her at the thought of Robert. There had been no mention of him and she dare not ask in front of Malcolm. There was no telling how he would react to that.

Since Tommy's apparent death, there was nothing Malcolm was not capable of. The Glades and her marriage were proof of that. With the loss of one child, he had come after the other that he had always suspected was his. She had tried to hold him off and keep him away from Thea but a year and half later she had lost and agreed to marry him. Against her wishes, he even told Thea the truth that she was really his daughter. That permanently damaged her relationship with her daughter while it gave Malcolm a foundation to build a relationship with Thea since he promised to tell her the truth always. It had worked too. Thea and Malcolm bonded as father and day Thea slowly became more Malcolm's daughter and less Robert's daughter and it was downright frightening.

Oliver and Tommy coming back was going to throw things off kilter and Moira knew she needed to take advantage of was finally time to retake control of her life from that mad man but first she need to come up with a plan to keep Oliver safe and break the bond between Thea and Malcolm.

**S-4**

A nurse entered the private room on the top floor of the Starling General Hospital. The famous occupants of the room had asked a favour of her and she was keen to comply. " , your parents are talking to the Doctor at the moment and should be here in a few minutes," she said.

Both men were seated on beds on either side of the room. Originally they were each to get a private room but they had refused to be separated. The psychologist on staff endorsed their request to stay together. He pointed out that reacclimatising to civilisation was already going to be stressful, they didn't need to add to it further by separating them when they didn't want to be separated.

"Thank you nurse," Tommy said with a wolfish blushed at Tommy's attention. "I think I'm feeling a little hot nurse. Perhaps you could check my temperature for me."

Oliver growled making his disapproval known to Tommy. They needed to focus on the arrival of their parents not on their playboy personas. This first meeting was important and it could potentially make or break their mission. The nurse smiled coyly at Tommy before fleeing the room.

"Must you fluster the poor nurse like that?" Oliver asked.

"Of course. I've been on a deserted island for five years remember! That's 1,825 days without sex. It would only be natural for me to want to get in the pants of the first woman I saw," Tommy explained reasonably.

"According to that logic, that would have been the boat Captain's wife that met us on the dock. If I recall correctly, she was missing a few teeth and didn't smell too right," Oliver pointed out.

"That was a woman?" Tommy said aghast. "I thought it was his twin brother!"

Oliver glanced away from Tommy. When Tommy was his cheerful self it reminded Oliver of how much he had changed. How much he had let the darkness take from him. Tommy told him that he could find himself again, that he could be the man he was supposed to be but Oliver doubted that. He was a monster now. His best friend had no idea how far Oliver had sank.

The door to the room opened and Moira Queen walked in followed by Malcolm Merlyn.

"Oh my baby boy," she said moving towards the bed and her son occupied. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. Oliver closed his eyes and relaxed into his mother's embrace. Memories of his childhood flew through his head. On the island he had dreamt about this repeatedly. He had dreamt of the protection his mother's warm embrace offered. Now it felt surreal.

On the other side of the room Malcolm was telling Tommy how happy he was to have his son back while he was hugging him. That was probably the first time he had hugged his son since the night Rebecca had died. It was a shame that it took Tommy's supposed death and resurrection for Malcolm to hug his son again. Oliver was even more grateful for the father he had.

After a while Moira pulled away from him, "The doctor said we could take you home in half an hour. They are drawing up the release forms and then we'll be heading home," she said excitedly.

Oliver nodded. Home, he was finally going home.

**S-5**

**Flashback – 2 years after the Gambit sank**

Tommy sighed in relief when his foot touched land that wasn't Lian Yu, the purgatory they had both been stuck on for the last two years. It had been hell. He had been forced to do things he never would have thought himself capable of doing. Tommy had killed 23 men. He had kept count. It seemed like something he should keep track of. He should know what he needed to atone for and he had a lot to atone for.

From the small plane, they were placed in a black SUV with tinted windows and driven to a nondescript building. They parked in the garage and were taken into the basement where there was a dark middle-aged woman seated behind a desk. She was dressed impeccably,not a hair was out of place. She motioned for them to sit on the two seats in front of the desk.

"Welcome Mr. Queen and Mr. Merlyn. My name is Amanda Waller and from this point forward, both of you," she said levelling each of them with a serious look, "work for me."

"What?" Tommy cried in disbelief.

"No, we need to get home," Oliver said firmly his eyes scanning the eight guards behind them to determine if they could escape. Tommy had already swept the room and he gave Oliver a slight turn of his head indicating that they couldn't take them.

"You ruined one of my operations that I spent a great deal of time and effort on. Because of your actions to save the Ferris Air flight, you allowed a dangerous member of the triad to survive. You owe me and I'm going to make you repay your debt," she said.

"You would shoot down a whole plane to kill one person?" Oliver asked aghast.

"If it saves thousands of future lives, I would and you will too. As operatives of ARGUS you are required to follow my orders," Amanda said with a smirk.

"You're keeping us against our will!" Tommy exclaimed.

"Am I?" she asked confidently. "You're free to leave at any time but if you do, you may not have a family to return to," she said. "I have many resources at my disposal and it would be quite easy to arrange an accident for your mother," she said looking at Oliver, "Or your father," she turned to Tommy.

"You can't do that," Oliver shouted but it was laced with an undertone of fear.

"I think you might find that I can, Mr. Queen. As Director of the Advanced Research Group United Support, ARGUS for short, I can use whatever force necessary to accomplish my goals," she stopped to look down at a tablet in her hands before sliding it across the desk to them. The screen clearly showed Thea Merlyn dressed in her prep school uniform exiting the school. Waller than dialled a number on her phone, "Agent, please wave for the camera," she said. A man on the screen that was walking directly behind Thea waved at the camera. She ended the call and then looked up at the boys in front of her. "You see, it would be very easy for me to have Ms. Queen kidnapped off the street." She picked up two plain manila envelopes and slide them across the desk. One was address to Oliver, the other to Tommy. "These are you assignments."

"You're separating us?" Tommy asked worriedly.

"You both have a particular skill set that I require on two different missions. Don't worry, you will each be assigned an experienced handler," Waller said.

"No," Oliver said firmly.

"Mr. Queen I'm sure your sister would appreciate it very much if she were to live past her teens," Waller commented.

Oliver gritted his teeth and grabbed hold of his envelope, Tommy reluctantly followed suit. The first thing Tommy noticed on his page was a map of Japan.

**S-6**

Their parents eventually left the hospital room to give them time to change into normal clothes and then join them downstairs to sign the release papers. Tommy and Oliver took a moment to survey the city spread out before them from the top floor of the hospital. There were more skyscrapers than they remembered particularly in the eastern part of the Glades. They had read ARGUS's report before returning to the city. That part of the Glades burned to the ground one month after they had gone missing. Merlyn Global and Queen Consolidated had stepped into to clean up the mess. Hundreds lost their homes. Foul play had initially been suspected but the investigation by the SCPD turned up nothing according to the report that was released to the public. The official cause was listed as a gas leak. The city moved on and was eventually renamed to Star City.

The western side of the Glades was still in the state that they remembered. The Triad, the Bratva, Italian Mafia and Irish Mob all used Star City as their main transhipment point into the States. The merchandise never stayed in the city though, it was all moved elsewhere. There were several agents that previously tried to infiltrate the organised crime entities and stop their operations but they all failed. The last agent had been able to discover that there was another organisation in Star City that was calling the shots, Tempest.

Their mission was to discover who was running Tempest and eliminate them from the city. This was also their last mission. They would have their freedom after this.

"This isn't the city that I remember," Tommy admitted looking at the way the rays of the setting sun reflected off the tall shiny buildings.

"I know," Oliver said standing solemnly besides Tommy.

"You know there is still hope for you and Laurel. The sun probably hasn't set on your relationship yet," Tommy advised him hopefully.

"Tommy," Oliver said warningly. He did not like talking about Laurel.

"You held on to her picture for five years Ollie. Are you really going to let her go now that you're back?" Tommy asked incredulously.

"The file said she was engaged. You know how accurate some of ARGUS files are. She could be married by now," Oliver stated sourly.

"Nonsense, that man is just a placeholder for you Ollie. Once she sees you she will be falling for you all over again," Tommy encouraged.

"No Tommy. She's happy. She moved on. I don't need to drag her back into that toxic relationship we had," Oliver said firmly. They said if you loved something you let it go, well he was letting her go. He was a damaged man. He had done so many things that Laurel would never approve of and he didn't want to tarnish her with the many stains he had on his soul.

"Fine but if I catch you having sex with Laurel in a week, I'm totally going to tell you I TOLD YOU SO!" Tommy beamed at his friend.

The door to the room opened and both men spun around quickly to face the door. The young nurse that Tommy had been flirting with earlier had returned with some documents in her hand.

"Your discharge papers sirs," she said.

"You brought it up for us! You are definitely my favourite nurse, I hope you walked with a pen" Tommy asked the girl with a charming smile.

The nurse blushed and walked up to him. She handed him a normal blue ball point pen but Tommy made sure that when he took the pen from her he let the tips of his fingers brush hers. He could feel Oliver rolling his eyes next to him. This was why he hadn't been laid in months.

Tommy signed his papers before passing the pen to Oliver. Once they were signed, he passed the papers back to the nurse. "Is there anything else?" he asked with a charming smile.

"No," she responded and left the room.

They were now officially discharged and about to head home. They both turned to take a last glance at the city.

"So it begins," Tommy said thoughtfully.

Oliver looked at over at his best friend, "It's time to save our city."

**S-7**

A series of bodyguards helped Oliver and Tommy push through the crowd of paparazzi camped out in front of the hospital to get to the limo where Moira and Malcolm were waiting for them. Oliver exhaled loudly when he got into the limo, "That certainly hasn't changed in five years," he commented.

His mother gave him a wry smile, "Sharks will always be sharks, son." Her eyes then slide to Malcolm as Tommy was settling in next to Oliver.

"We have a lot to fill you in on before you arrive at the mansion," Malcolm stated.

Moira turned to look sullenly out the window.

"After the two of you were officially declared dead. Moira and I found comfort in each other. We eventually married and I have raised Thea as my own daughter," Malcolm said. "I have certain rules in my house that must strictly be followed. As happy as your mother and I are that you have returned, I cannot allow you to disrupt Thea's life. We usually have dinner together every night at 7:00pm however tonight I am making a special exception for your return," Malcolm explained.

A crease appeared in Tommy's forehead, "Wait, the two of you are together?" he asked.

"That is all you took from what I just said!" Malcolm snapped.

Oliver decided to intervene before Malcolm and Tommy got into another of their epic arguments in the limo, "I'm sorry Mr. Merlyn but it's quite a shock for us," Oliver explained in a level voice, his gaze intently focused on Malcolm.

"I'm sure you're going to find a lot has changed in the last 5 years," Malcolm replied in a clipped tone.

Moira turned her gaze away from the window towards him, "Right now we just want you to relax and we will slowly reintroduce you to the world," she said in that soft motherly voice she used when she wanted them to just go along with something.

They drove in silence until they came to a familiar driveway that they knew led up to the Queen Mansion.

"Home at last," Malcolm said with a wide smile as they turned into the driveway.

The outer appearance hadn't changed at all but he already knew that. During his first mission for ARGUS he had broken into Queen Mansion. He had discovered during that trip to Starling City, it hadn't been renamed yet, that his mother had remarried after his father had died. He hadn't taken it very well. His ARGUS handler, Maseo Yamamoto had spent the night trying to get Oliver's head back in the game.

Malcolm exited first followed by Oliver, Tommy and then Moira. Thea came running out the front door down the set of stairs at the entrance straight into Oliver's arms, "Speedy," he said surprised by his sister. "You're so big!"

"I'm 17," she said before moving on to give Tommy a hug.

"Raisa prepared all your favourites and you may eat in the kitchen tonight. Thea, please give your brothers a little space. They will be home tomorrow and you can catch up with them after school. I believe it is your homework time. Please return to it," Malcolm said firmly.

Thea deflated slightly while looking at her brothers, "You better both be home tomorrow!" she said before turning away and heading back upstairs towards her room.

"Come along boys," Moira said with a wide smile. "Raisa is very much looking forward to seeing her favourite boys again."

**S-8**

After dinner both of them retired to the room that Tommy used to use when he stayed over. It was officially his now. They needed some time just to themselves after their reintroduction to their family.

"Ollie, you slipped up during dinner. You should never have spoken to Raisa in Russian. My father may have been a horrible father but he isn't stupid. If he heard you, he would have known something was up," Tommy said with a frown.

"Speaking of your father, do you think you can handle his attitude without killing him?" Oliver asked bluntly. Tommy may have looked impassive in the car but he knew what his best friend was thinking.

Tommy smirked, "I was dying to take my sword and run him through in the limo but sadly little Mikoto was not with me."

Oliver rolled his eyes. Tommy leaned strongly towards theatrics when it came to his swords, "Where is little Mikoto?" he asked referring to the not so ' _little_ ' sword.

"Under the bed, where else do you expect me to hide my samurai sword," Tommy answered casually.

Oliver quirked an eyebrow, "Do I even want to know how you got the sword there?"

"No dear brother, you do not," Tommy said with a wide smile. "When does your new bow come in?"

"I'll get it when we meet with our handler for this mission," Oliver said with a frown. "Any idea who it is?"

"Nope, we will find out when we go to the rendezvous point," Tommy said collapsing on his bed. "Now get out. I need my beauty sleep."

**S-9**

Tommy was running through the forest. The cold air rushing passed him but he paid no attention to it. Something slammed into him hard causing him to tumble to the ground. He barely registered a pair of hands holding on to him and pulling him up roughly. He automatically struck out hitting flesh. A struggled ensued and somehow he managed to pull the combat knife from the man's thigh and plunge it into the man's side. The man cried out in pain and pushed him away, the knife going with Tommy. Red liquid poured out of his side. Tommy had never seen anyone bleed like that. The man dropped to his knees his face deathly pale before he collapsed on to the ground, his lifeless eyes staring up at Tommy.

Tommy looked at the knife in his hand. It was covered in blood, blood that also spilled over onto his hand. He had just killed a man.

"No, no, no," Tommy said dropping to his knees.

His eyes flew open, he was in his room at Queen Manor. His body was cold and wet and it wasn't from the nightmare he just had. His father was standing three feet away with a bucket in his hand, Thea peeking out from behind him.

"You were having a nightmare," Thea explained.

"So you thought it best to pour a bucket of ice cold water on me, dad?" Tommy commented sarcastically his hand itching for his sword. "I'm sure it reminded you of the good old days."

"Of course not! Oliver had a nightmare and Moira tried to wake him up only he didn't wake up completely and he grabbed her by her throat. If I hadn't entered the room and broke him out of his dream state, I don't know what would have happened. I thought it was best not to take a similar risk with you," Malcolm explained harshly.

Thea gave him a sympathetic look. If it weren't for his sister in the room he might have rolled off the bed, grabbed Mikoto from the underside where she was secured and plunge the sword straight through his father's chest. He knew exactly what that said about him but he had come to terms with his darker self a long time ago.

"Starting tomorrow you and Oliver will see a psychologist," Malcolm ordered.

"What?" Tommy asked dumbfounded. That certainly was not something he expected his father to say.

"I will not risk Thea being hurt because of either of you. My secretary will make the appointment in the morning and I will forward the details to you," Malcolm dictated before turning around and dragging Thea out of the room with him.

**S-10**

The next morning, they had been warned in a letter from Malcolm that he had allowed them to sleep in a bit longer as it was their first day back but that behaviour would not be tolerated. They needed to set a good example for Thea as her older brothers and he would ensure that they do.

"Is it me or has your father turned into a dictator?" Oliver asked as he looked at the letter for the fifth time.

"He was always an idiot," Tommy said bitterly.

They were eating a nice lunch that Raisa had prepared for them in the kitchen. They had no plans to go out yet. They knew Thea would be home in a few hours and they were looking forward to catching up with her. They were almost finished when Raisa announced that Ms. Laurel Lance had stopped by to visit. Oliver asked for her to be brought in immediately.

"Laurel," Oliver said in awe. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. She had lightened her hair to a softer brown tone with blonde highlights. Her makeup was perfect, not too heavy but just barely there to accentuate all of her best features. Her pants suit fit her perfectly. She was as beautiful as he had always imagined her.

"I'll give you two some time," Tommy said getting up from the table and heading to another part of the mansion. He hugged Laurel and kissed her on the cheek on the way out.

Despite it being his best friend, Oliver felt jealous of Tommy touching her. He decided to rise from his seat and approach her but as he got nearer to her he noticed the sparkling diamond ring next to the shiny gold band on her left ring finger. He wasn't sure if it was the despair that made him do it but before he knew it he was crashing his lips against hers. One last time was all he thought. He wanted to kiss her for one last time. She had been the reason he survived; his hope and his light in the dark times. She responded at first before she pulled away, tears gathered in her eyes.

"I'm sorry Oliver. You were dead. I went to your funeral. I grieved and mourned. I cried a lot. Sara cried a lot too. But I moved on Oliver. I thought you were dead," she said holding up her hand for him to see the engagement ring that lay next to the wedding band. She sniffled, "I got married last month Oliver. I thought you would have wanted me to move on. I'm so sorry Oliver," Laurel said turning on her heel and leaving the room.

Oliver stood still. He didn't run after her or try to call out to her and tell her it was ok. It was what it was. She had moved on and he was still stuck in his own personal hell.

Tommy re-entered the room, "I'm sorry man. I saw the ring on the way out."

"It's ok. I kissed her one last time. I wanted to remember what it felt like," he told his brother honestly.

"I don't mean to kick you while you're down but before I forget, my father's secretary called, she scheduled appointments with a shrink for us," Tommy said.

Oliver's face turned from sad and disappointed to one of utter horror.

"Ah there's the look I was expecting," Tommy quipped.

"What look?" Oliver asked.

"The look that says I would rather die than talk to a stranger about my man pain," Tommy responded.

"I would rather die," he admitted.

"But seriously Oliver, it might help," the dark-haired man said half trying to convince his friend to give it a chance.

"No," Oliver said resolutely walking out of the kitchen.

"Hmm, that went well," Tommy said talking to no one in particular.

**S-11**

Malcolm Merlyn sat at the head of the table in the spot that used to be occupied by Robert Queen. Thea and Tommy sat on his left side and Moira and Oliver on his right. It was 7:00pm on the dot and Raisa was serving their dinner for the night.

"I cannot express how happy we are that you have both returned to us but I would like to know if Robert is somewhere out there?" Malcolm asked hopefully as Raisa served him first.

"He did not make it to the island with us," Oliver said answering immediately. They did not need to know the truth about what happened to his father.

"Did he have any last words?" Malcolm pressed picking up his steak knife to cut into the large chunk of meat on his plate.

"No, the sinking was chaotic," Oliver answered as Raisa placed his dinner in front of him. It smelt delicious as always and he resisted the urge to complement her in Russian.

"I can only imagine how the storm must have made everything worse," the older Merlyn added.

"Storm?" Tommy asked, Raisa had now moved over to his side of the table and was placing the last meal in front of Thea.

"The storm that sank the ship," Malcolm clarified before biting into another piece of steak.

"The storm was behind us," Tommy said. "Oliver wanted to get to China quickly so he had the Captain pushing the boat to its limit. We blew an engine."

Oliver looked away from everyone. He would always carry that burden with him. Tommy didn't miss the way Moira's eyes cut to Malcolm at the news. There was something there to the story. Malcolm seemed to think it over before he decided to drop that line of questioning and turned to Thea who had arrived home just before dinner.

"Thea," Malcolm said in a monotone, "How was school?"

"School was good," she said going into detail about everything she covered in her classes that day and why she had been home later than usual. By the time she had finished, both Tommy and Oliver were almost done with dinner while she had barely touched hers.

"And those friends of yours?" Malcolm asked the disapproval quite clear in his voice. Tommy knew that tone all too well.

"They are all good father," Thea responded in an even tone pushing her peas around her plate.

"Staying out of trouble I hope," he added.

"Yes," she responded finally deciding to spare a pea with her fork and eat it.

"Good because underage drinking, drugs and sex aren't tolerated in this house," he reminded her but Tommy and Oliver got the impression he was talking to them.

"Yes father," she said picking up her steak knife and cutting a bit too vigorously into the meat on her plate.

Malcolm then turned his eyes to Moira, "How were things in the Mayor's office today?"

"Mayor's Office?" Oliver asked interrupting the conversation.

"Yes, I am the Mayor of Star City. Malcolm runs the business. He merged Merlyn Global with Queen Consolidated and it is now call MQ Industries," she explained to them before turning back to Malcolm to answer his question, "The council is reviewing the proposals for the upgrade of the security camera system."

He nodded, "What about the Glades?"

"No change," she answered in a neutral tone.

Malcolm looked passive but Tommy could see there was a storm underneath.

"Tommy I understand you've been informed of your appointments tomorrow," Malcolm asked.

"We have," Tommy answered.

"Good I expect the both of you to attend them. Next week we have a court appointment to legally bring you back from the dead. Until then I want the both of you to lay low," Malcolm ordered.

"Yes father," Tommy answered for the both of them.

"Excellent, dinner is finished. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the study. Thea I expect to see your homework before you turn in for the night," he said.

"Yes father," she answered.

As soon as he left, Thea excused herself from the table to finish her homework.

"Don't worry boys, she's happy you're back. Try to remember she is a teenage girl who just had the brothers who she thought were dead return to life. Give her some time," Moira advised.

Both boys nodded. Moira smiled, "Good, now tell me about your plans for tomorrow."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think of Malcolm?


	3. A Strange New City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys explore the city and we get to see what Thea's life is like.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Arrow.

Thea Merlyn stared at her crappy school uniform hanging up in the cupboard. She wished she didn't have to wear it every day to school. Her phone was blowing up like mad with notifications but she didn't check it. She knew it was the Star City Gossip Mill app and what news they were gossiping about. All of the gossip sites had been carrying nothing but the return of her brothers. Her friends spent yesterday talking about who was sexier, Oliver or Tommy. They were split on a winner not that Thea really cared about that. By the time school had finished she was so sick and tired of hearing about Oliver and Tommy she decided to skip going home in favour of going to the mall.

She had wrongly assumed that Malcolm would be too busy with Tommy's return to pay any attention to her. He had set her straight last night when she presented her homework to him in his study.

" _Thea we promised each other to always be truthful. You lied to me at dinner but I'm willing to overlook it because I know your brothers' return has been emotionally challenging," he said in a stern voice calling her out right away on the lie she told at the dinner table._

" _I'm sorry father, I'm just confused," she said bowing her head. A bowed head always worked to lessen her punishment._

" _It's ok my daughter. Just because Tommy has returned, it does not mean that I love you any less or that I will forget about you. You are still a very important priority in my life and you will not fall to the wayside the way your mother forgot about you when Robert and Oliver died."_

_Thea flinched at the reminder of that time her life. Her mother had practically shut down. She was left to fend for herself and deal with her own pain. It was the first time in her life that she tried alcohol and her mother hadn't noticed. If she so much as looks at a drink now, Malcolm is there to remind her that it is not a solution to a problem. He's always telling her that if she wants change, she has to make it happen._

" _If you're concerned about the company, I am handling it," Malcolm said. "You will still have you interest in the company."_

" _I know you will handle it father," she said. She didn't care about MQ Industries at the moment but she knew one day she would have to._

" _Good. You may retire for the night and I expect you to spend some time with your brothers tomorrow. They are going to need a significant amount of guidance to navigate Star City. It has changed quite a bit since they left and I expect you to continue being the outstanding citizen you are," he told her._

_Thea nodded her head, "Good night father."_

_He smiled at her and opened his arms wide, "Come give your father a hug."_

_Thea smiled for the first time since she entered his study and walked up to her father and wrapped her arms around him. No matter how tumultuous her life got, he had proved to her in the last five years that he would always be there for her._

The ring tone on her phone knocked her out of her memory. It was her best friend Carol. She could wait until she saw her at school. She needed to reach out to her brothers. She dressed quickly and decided she would tackle Ollie first. She saw Tommy exit Oliver's room and heading down to his own. Fortunately he left the door open and she just walked in. Her brother was in the process of putting on a blue shirt while he stared at the news on the TV which was covering his and Tommy's return. She was taken aback by the scars that littered his back as well as the tattoo of a dragon on his left shoulder. She was fairly sure he didn't have that before he left on the Gambit and it didn't look like he had just had it inked.

"Ollie, Malcolm said you had scars but this…." Thea said announcing her presence at the door.

Her brother turned around quickly, "Thea," he said angrily as she walked into the room, "Don't you knock." He pulled his shirt together quickly to try and hide the scars. She caught site of another tattoo on his chest as she came to a stop less than a foot from him.

Thea dragged her eyes away for his scars to his eyes, "What happened to you on that island?"

Oliver was saved from having to answer the question by Tommy's return.

"Ollie, what excuse do you want me to use for the shrink?" Tommy asked coming in through the door and coming to a stop behind Thea.

"Doesn't anyone knock anymore?" Oliver grumbled.

Thea spun around quickly to face Tommy, "Do you have scars like his?"

"Like his, no, but I do have my fair share of scars," Tommy answered her honestly.

Thea nodded mutely. She did not know what to say. She could see her brother shut down right away when she mentioned his scars yet Tommy seemed more open to the discussion.

"Was there something you wanted?" Oliver asked a bit tense.

"I just wanted to know what you guys were up to today?" she asked her eyes moving from one brother to another.

"I have an appointment with at 10:00am," Tommy revealed. "Oliver's appointment is at 5:00pm but I believe he is undecided about his attendance."

"I was thinking of visiting mom in City Hall," Oliver admitted. "I never imagined her as Mayor."

"Well I'm sure there is a lot you never imagined about her," Thea said bitterly and the tone reminded Oliver of how Tommy often spoke about Malcolm.

There was a knock at the door and they all turned to see Malcolm standing there. "Thea it is time for school."

"Yes father," Thea replied.

She gave her brothers a small smile before she followed her father down the stairs to his limo. She would have to have breakfast at school but that was ok. She strongly suspected there was more to her brother's island story than they were letting on.

**S-2**

The main garage at Queen Estate held five cars. One town car had already left with Malcolm and Thea and the other one was heading out front to collect his mother to take her to work. That left a silver Audi, black BMW and a white Jaguar parked at the end of the garage. He didn't have a particular preference and went to the nearest car which happened to be the Audi. He pressed the button and the engine purred to life. As he pulled out of the main gates he was surprised to find the horde of paparazzi camped outside the fence. He gunned the engine and soon lost anyone attempting to follow him.

He had a few things on his agenda today, primarily to visit his mother at city hall, visit MQ Industries to take a look around and some basic reconnaissance of the various crime organisations in the City. He decided to start with a quick recon of the city and visit a few of the places he used to love.

The changes in Star City astounded there were modern glass structures that emphasized steel and technology, making the city seem like a cold place to live. There used to be a few quaint family run shops but those were all gone. It appeared as if Star City consisted only of the wealthy. He knew the west side of the Glades had been renamed to the Novus District. It consisted of tall apartment buildings to house the workers that kept the city running. From what he had seen on the map, they had completely redesigned that part of the Glades. None of the streets lined up the old anymore and the only way in was through Grand Avenue.

Each building was exactly the same with exactly 50 apartments in each. He was wrong about it only being apartments though, every block had space reserved for some type of park and each park he passed was different. On the surface it looked like an excellent place to live but his research indicated that the apartment rules were strict. No pets, no loud music, no shouting, no cursing, no unruly behaviour, no parties, no exposed bottles of alcohol, no smoking, no drugs and a few other odd things on the list he couldn't remember. The younger versions of Tommy and himself probably wouldn't have been allowed within 300 yards of these buildings. He couldn't imagine anybody truly enjoying living there.

Though the district looked safe, it was far from it. Oliver had detected two buildings that were devoted to organised crime. He saw symbols representing the Irish mafia and Bratva on the ground floors. To the ordinary citizens it looked like decorations but to someone who knew better, the darker meaning was obvious. At the end of Grand Avenue, he came to tall fence that blocked the Old Glades from Novus District. There was absolutely no mixing between the old and the new. He decided he had seen enough and made an illegal u-turn to return to the Business District.

**S-3**

Moira sighed as yet another report came in of Oliver's lack of respect for the traffic laws of Star City. She had already received reports that he was speeding through the streets, changing lanes and making turns without using his indicator lights and running three stop signs. Oliver and rules never seemed to go hand in hand. She would have to find a way to fix that and fix it quick because if he continued to flaunt the rules so openly she would be forced to put her own son in jail.

"Your son just pulled into the car park downstairs," her assistant said poking her head in through the door to inform her.

"Thank you Mandy. Please tell security to let him in and clear him straight through to my office," Moira said in that neutral professional tone she used in the office.

Her assistant complied and Moira was left alone with her thoughts. Ten minutes later, Mandy was leading Oliver into her office.

"My darling son," she greeted him with a smile.

"Mother," he said kissing her on the cheek. She noticed that his eyes were carefully surveying the space. He paused on that awful picture of Malcolm and her on their wedding day that he made her take and place in her office for all of her visitors to see. He picked up the picture and examined it carefully. "You don't look as happy as the other," he said referring to the one that Robert had kept on his desk for years.

He was right. She was not happy at all. "It was a bittersweet day," she said to him by way of explanation. He seemed willing to accept it.

"What brings you here?" she asked.

"I was curious. The last thing I ever thought you would be was Mayor of Starling City," he said to her.

"Yes life does have its way of taking unexpected turns Oliver. And it's now called Star City," she said to him.

"Hmmm," he mumbled nodding his head.

Of course her son would have a first-hand understanding of the pitfalls life could throw at you. A moment of silence passed between them and Moira decided it was time to take the bull by the horns, "Oliver, as Mayor I can't be seen with a son that does not obey the rules," she said sternly.

Oliver held up his hand defensively, "I haven't done anything."

"Driving 20 miles over the speed limit is considered speeding. If you can't keep to the posted speed limit, I'll assign you a driver," Moira said as her son frowned.

"You could increase the speed limit," he suggested.

"No I cannot increase the speed limit because my son wants to drive faster. Come walk with me," she said to him. "I have something to show you."

He easily fell into step besides her. Her son had grown even more handsome in the last few years and he turned the heads of both women and men in her office. She had to glare at a few secretaries to return to work. Oliver was strictly off limits to them. No doubt Malcolm would find him a suitable girlfriend soon. They had to maintain their status as an elite family and he would not tolerate Oliver nor Tommy tarnishing their squeaky clean reputation.

She soon came to the department she was looking for, traffic monitoring; she entered a code and walked inside a large circular room covered with monitors from ceiling to floor. Five people were in the room monitoring them.

"Every traffic camera in the city is linked to this room. The minute a car goes over the speed limit, we know about it and tickets are issued. Since you are new, I managed to get your ten tickets waved but from here on out, you will be charged," she warned.

"All this fuss over a speeding ticket," Oliver asked. She noted his tone was light but he was studying the each screen carefully.

"Oliver this is serious, three consecutive tickets and you get 30 days in Iron heights," she explained to him.

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" he asked with a careless shrug.

"Rules are rules. Star City is a disciplined city and it can be seen in the way our citizens drive on our roads," she explained.

"Who made these rules?" Oliver asked curiously. His eyes still glued to the screens.

"The City Council. Don't worry you'll get accustomed to them soon. What do you plan on doing for the rest of the day?" she asked. She hoped he would return to the Mansion. She did not want him drawing Malcolm's ire.

"I wanted to see Dad's old office," Oliver replied.

The familiar pain that accompanied the mention of Robert shot through her again. "Walter is in your father's office. I'm sure you remember your father's best friend. He is the Chief Operations Officer and also the Director in charge of the Applied Sciences Unit of MQI which is based in the old QC building."

"Mom, why were the companies merged?" Oliver asked.

Moira sighed. It was very complicated. "Your sister was the heir to both companies. Malcolm felt it would be easier for her to step into the role of managing one combined company rather than two separate ones. It was all for the best," she said with a tight smile. She neglected to mention how she vehemently opposed the idea but Malcolm had convinced Thea that it was a great idea and she had sided with him against her. Tommy's trust fund had been liquidated and used to buy up shares in Queen Consolidated. Oliver's trust fund had gone to Thea. She wandered how Malcolm was going to reinstate both boys' trust funds.

**S-4**

**Flashback – 2 years after the Gambit Sank**

Tommy wasn't sure how much time had passed since his initial meeting with Amanda Waller. He had been sequestered in a room with four white padded walls as if he were a mentally insane patient at a psychiatric hospital. The bed in the cell was clamped to the ground. The mattress was lumpy though still far superior to the ground of the island. There was a urinal and tap in one corner. The file folder that Waller had given him at the meeting was still with him and he had reread the material about twenty times already. They were crazy.

His mission was to take part in some crazy death tournament to apprehend a criminal named Ravager. If he accomplished that then he would be free of the debt that Amanda Waller thought he owed her. The tournament was supposed to take place on one of the remote islands south of Japan. Besides the obvious whole death thing, he had no clue why ARGUS would even think that he would want to go back to an island. The tournament came around once every ten years and was originally started by the Yakuza to identify the strongest clan. In the last century, the tournament had expanded to include all manner of criminal. ARGUS's latest intel indicated that Ravager was going to take part this year and thus Tommy had to take part as well.

He was lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling when he heard the door open, "Mr Merlyn," a polite voice said. He turned his head to see a short Japanese girl dressed in a pretty light blue kimono with a pink cherry blossom pattern. She smiled at him as she came to stand closer to the bed, "Mr. Merlyn we have a lot of work to do to get you ready for your mission."

Tommy frowned. "Where is Oliver?" he asked worriedly.

She cocked her head to the side studying him intently, "You're worried about him," she said. "Don't be. He is in safe hands. You need to focus entirely on your mission."

"Are you my babysitter?" he asked sitting up and swinging his legs over the side.

She smiled at him, "My duty is to prepare you. In your current state, you won't last one second."

"You damn right I won't last one second!" Tommy screamed at her. She didn't even flinch. "You should have used Slade Wilson," he added angrily.

"He was our original pick but we understand he is no longer available so you will have to do," she said calmly.

"I will have to do?" Tommy repeated horrified. Everyone in that place had to by psycho. How could you just throw someone into such a situation?

"Your file says that you used a sword on the island as your preferred weapon where as Mr. Queen preferred a bow and arrow," she explained clinically.

"That is what has gotten me into this mess?" Tommy asked. "Because when there were no guns available, I chose to use a sword?"

"Why a sword?" she asked titling her head to the right curiously.

"I took a fencing class in college," Tommy admitted.

"Doesn't seem like something Tommy Merlyn would willingly do," she commented knowingly. She had apparently done some research on him.

"There was a hot girl in the class and I wanted to fuck her. She made me wait till the end of the semester but it was totally worth it," Tommy smirked.

The woman nodded, "That initial training served you well. You will receive more advanced training, lessons in Japanese and some psychoanalytic training to read your opponents better. Your mind will have to be stronger than your body for this task. There are many Yakuza swordsmen entered in the competition and they specialise in intimidating their opponents."

"When is this competition?" Tommy asked. While the file had described the tournament it had failed to give him a date or provide him with much information about Ravager.

"Don't worry. I do very good work," she said. "When I'm finished with you, even Amanda Waller will think twice before messing with you."

She turned to leave him alone in his padded room.

"What is your name?" he asked.

She looked back at him, "Mariko."

**S-5**

Tommy was seated in the waiting room of Dr. Stanley Kreukis, the best psychologist on the west coast. He graduated at the top of his class from Stanford and settled in Starling City over twenty years ago. Tommy had been one his first patients when his father sent him for grief counselling after his mother died. Since that time, Dr. Kreukis had built a reputation for helping many A-listers deal with their problems without the media finding out. He built his practice around his discretion. It was ironic though because according to ARGUS's files he had a huge gambling problem. He owed a lot of money to both the Italians and the Triad.

Tommy was looking forward to talking to Dr. Kreukis. Mariko had taught him how to analyse and use a person's emotions against them. She taught him to recognise the various mirco expressions to know what a person was really thinking. People were open books to him except his father who was still very much a closed book. He wasn't sure if it was because of his own biased or if his father just had the best poker face ever.

The external door opened and two men entered. One glance was all it took for Tommy to identify them as hired muscle. It was strange how people always thought large muscles made you strong. Oliver had been the one that bulked up with training, whereas Tommy had stayed lean and thin but he was every bit as dangerous as Oliver, even more so because Tommy was extremely good with close quarter fighting. No one ever suspected what he was capable of.

Tommy dragged his eyes back to the magazine in front of him choosing to follow their movements out of the corner of his eyes. If he stared at them, they might perceive him as a threat. They appeared to be sweeping the room for threats. The door opened again and a tall thin brunette entered with two other muscle men. Tommy looked up at her and smiled charmingly but she wasn't the least bit impressed. Her entire posture screamed that she didn't want to be there.

"This is highly unusual," the receptionist said standing up.

Tommy looked down at the magazine with a smirk on his face. Dr. Kreukis privacy policy just went out the door. His patients were never supposed to come in contact with one another.

"Mr. Bertinelli said his daughter needs a session now," the muscle man announced.

The name registered with Tommy immediately. Mr. Bertinelli would be Frank Bertinelli, the head of the Italian mob. His daughter would be Helena Bertinelli. If he remembered correctly her fiancé had been killed 3 months prior. ARGUS suspected that Frank had killed his future son-in-law. They weren't sure why. Perhaps if he seduced Helena he could find out. Maybe she might know something about Tempest.

"I'm sorry but Dr. Kreukis is in with a patient," the receptionist said sternly. She was a middle aged woman with excess weight around her mid-section but she didn't back down from the man that was twice her size.

"He'll want to cut short and deal with Ms. Bertinelli," the muscle man insisted.

"This is highly ..." she started to say before she was cut off.

"Do you want to tell him we are here, or should I break down the door," the man threatened pointing at the non-descript door that lead into the pyschologist's office.

The poor secretary looked overwhelmed. While the receptionist and the muscle men were sorting it out, Helena sat on the sofa next to him.

"You don't look too happy to be here," he pointed out.

"Are you?" she spat back at him.

"Touché," he responded.

"I think I would have preferred that island of yours to this," she stated.

"I would never wish what happened on the island on anyone else," Tommy admitted looking at her closely. He noticed that she wore a small silver cross around her neck.

"You don't know a thing about my life. I was happy once but these days I'm downright miserable," she hissed at him. He knew she meant every single word.

"I can relate," Tommy said thinking about the happy times with his mother and the temporary happiness he had found after the island.

"Miss," the receptionist called out, careful not to reveal Helena's name, "Dr. Kreukis will see you now." Whoever was in there with Dr. Kreukis would have left through another door.

Helena gave her a tight smile before turning to Tommy, "I don't know why he wastes his time with this. Nothing is ever going to stop me from wanting to kill him."

Tommy's eyes opened wide at her casual mention of wanting to kill 'him' whoever 'him' was. It certainly wasn't Dr. Kreukis. He wasn't that brave to counsel a patient that wanted him dead. Helena and the four muscle men entered the room.

"Sir," the receptionist said, "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to reschedule."

Tommy gave her a wide smile, "Not a problem, how does six months from now sound?"

The receptionist gave him a no-nonsense look. "I can reschedule you for 6:00pm today."

"After Oliver?" Tommy said pretending to think it over. "How about you just slot my name next to Oliver's. I'm fairly sure he's going to stand you up."

"I'm sorry sir, I can't do that," she replied.

Tommy paid her no heed, picking up his jacket and swinging it over his shoulder, "I'll see you at five."

**S-6**

Lunch time found Thea Merlyn seated at her group's usual lunch table flipping through last week's Star City Fashion Magazine while her friends gossiped around her. The main article was about Dr. Ray Palmer and his girlfriend Anna Loring, the poster couple for the Good Citizen Programme. Dr. Palmer had risen to stardom after the destruction in the Glades. His technology had helped the city recover quickly. He had a six figure income in Silicon Valley but had left that job to start his own business, Palmer Technologies. He was all about doing good and believed firmly in the Good Citizen Programme. His company contributed heavily towards it and a lot of the prizes handed out for earning a high ranking in the programme were Palmer Tech's latest gadgets. Thea was wearing his second generation watch. She had to admit it was a good watch.

Anna was the daughter of Jean Loring, the Chairman of the Good Citizen Programme and very good friend of her mother. Anna had been in the Glades the night of the fire for a sleepover by a friend. She had received burns on her back and left arm. Ray had volunteered to donate blood at the hospital for the victims and they met in a hallway. It was billed as a romantic fairy tale. Ray was Anna's knight in shining armour as everyone including her mother liked to say. They had come to enough dinners at the house for Thea to know that she didn't think much of him. He was like a cross between a golden retriever and the perfect Boy Scout. She guessed she liked her men a little bad. The press even had a name for them, Rayna. For the last six months they had been waiting for Ray to propose to her. She bet he wished he did it before her brothers returned!

Her friends were still talking about her brothers and how hot they were when she finished flipping through the magazine. That was definitely not a conversation she wanted to participate in. Before long they will be begging her for an introduction. She looked across the room to the cutest boy in school. She was in American History with him. He sat two rows in front of her and she stared at the back of his head during most of class. She knew the way every strand of hair fell on his head, she was particularly fond of his cowlick. He wasn't on the football team, he didn't have good grades and most of the teachers hated him because he had embarrassed them in class but Thea thought he was the greatest boy in the whole school.

Thea would love to go on a date with him but her father insisted she focus on her academic work first. He was adamant about not repeating the mistakes he made with Tommy with her. She would have rules and discipline as well as a security entourage though she probably didn't need the entourage anymore. Malcolm had forced her to go to three different martial arts classes to learn self-defence and discipline. She hated it at first but it quickly became a therapeutic relief. She was able to work through her anger issues on a punching bag. It gave her a power and a sense of control she didn't have before. Six months after she started learning, her father introduced her to weapons training with him. She didn't know where he learnt his skills, and no amount of asking had ever gotten him to reveal his history to her but he was great at it. She enjoyed working with the bow and arrow most of all. He was an expert marksman and she enjoyed the challenge of trying to beat him in his strongest area. She never told her mother about what it was she did with her father. Not because he told her not to, (he didn't care if her mother knew) but because it felt good for her to have her own little secret from her mother. It made her feel like the tables had turned and she was the one in charge now.

Her mother's secrets had secrets. She had run into a marriage with Malcolm for reasons Thea would never understand. Malcolm had told her that he was her biological father but in Thea's mind that didn't warrant a marriage. There was something else going on and her mother was hiding it from her. Moira had been opposed to the merging of the businesses but she never told her why.

"Thea," her friend Liz called snapping her attention back to her friends.

"What?" Thea asked looking at her.

"Why don't you just ask him out?" she suggested nodding her head subtly in Thea's crush's direction.

Thea laughed bitterly, "Malcolm would kill me."

Her friends all scoffed but something deep inside of Thea told her Malcolm was capable of murder. She had seen it in his eyes when he taught her how to use a sword. She wasn't sure if he would kill her but she wasn't going to stake her life on it.

"That bore probably can't even throw a punch," Mindy, the girl seated to her immediate left said. Thea couldn't help but crack a smile. Not because she was agreeing with them but because she could clearly imagine their faces if they ever saw her father fight.

"He's so obsessed with his rules," Liz said with a role of her eyes.

"Do you think we could come over after school today?" Carol asked curiously.

Thea narrowed her eyes. Her friends hated coming to the mansion because of the same rules they were just speaking about. They thought it was too suffocating. Thea didn't waste any time beating around the bush. "My brothers aren't home," she told them.

"I thought everyone had to be home for dinner?" Carol pointed out. That was probably the one rule all of her friends remembered.

"Yes and all my friends have to be gone by 6:30pm," Thea reminded her.

"But if we remember correctly dinner is at 7:00pm. Surely they have to come home and change for your dad's," Thea flinched at Malcolm being called her dad, he was her father, "formal dinners."

"My brothers are men. They can get ready for anything in five minutes," Thea said realistically.

"I still think there's a chance," Mindy pushed.

Realising that her friends were not going to back down, Thea acquiesced to their wishes or they would bother her for the rest of the week about it.

**S-7**

Oliver parked a block away from what was once the Queen Consolidated building. He placed a baseball cap for the Star City Rockets on his head and walked through the front door of MQ Industries undetected by the crowd of paparazzi outside. Inside the lobby was fill with information about MQ Industries and a large picture of Malcolm Merlyn hung next to the row of elevators. A surge of anger passed through him. His father would not have wanted this. Oliver had never been interested in the business. Even now his interest was minimal but he knew he needed to protect his father's legacy. Someone had to do something about this.

The thought of Malcolm Merlyn running his father's company sat badly with him but he needed to be careful how he handled matters. Tommy may not be his father's biggest fan, but Malcolm was still his father. Thea also seemed quite fond of Malcolm. It certainly appeared as though he had successfully replaced Robert Queen in her life. The most curious relationship was that between Malcolm and his mother. He knew his parents' marriage wasn't exactly a healthy marriage but the one between Moira and Malcolm seemed even more fake. It was almost as if his mother was tolerating Malcolm. It made no sense to him.

He got his visitor's badge and made his way up to the top floor where Walter's office was located. A middle aged lady, named Miranda met him and escorted him in to meet Walter. There was a brunette woman seated opposite Walter. As soon as he noticed Oliver, he smiled widely before glancing back to the woman, "Ms. Rochev, it's been a pleasure I look forward to reading Stellmore International's proposal next week."

"Thank you for your time Mr. Steele. I look forward to working with you in the future," she said standing up.

The woman had a great figure with some very nice legs. In his past, Oliver would have hit on her right away but he was here to talk to Walter. When she turned around to face him, he noted that she had a very pretty face to go along with the killer body and he didn't miss the way her eyes checked him out like a predator.

"Mr. Queen," she said in a polite voice before looking over her shoulder at Walter, "You didn't tell me that the playboys would be joining the business."

"Ms. Rochev the hiring practices of MQ Industries is none of your concern. I would humbly suggest you focus on your proposal to buy out the remaining residents in the Old Glades."

"As long as you keep up your end to convince the residents to sell," she responded in an icy tone. She strutted out of the office and Oliver couldn't help but watch her walk away. She would be an interesting challenge.

Walter cleared his throat, "I see old habits do in fact die hard but I would stay away from Ms. Rochev."

"Hmm," Oliver said nodding his head as he faced Walter. "I'm sorry to interrupt."

"Your mother called to say you would be coming and anything that gets me out of a meeting with that woman is a plus," Walter said as he pointed to the chair she had previously occupied.

Oliver smiled and sat down. The office had changed quite a bit since he had last been there.

"I'm very sorry about your father Oliver. He was my best friend," Walter told him. "If there's anything I can do to help your transition back."

"There is one thing actually, is there any way to separate the companies and restore my father's legacy?" he asked.

"No, what's done is done. It is one company now. If you wish to preserve your father's legacy then come and run the business the way Robert would have wanted," Walter suggested.

"I don't think I'm quite ready for that," Oliver replied honestly.

"There's room in the company for both you and Tommy. I'm already clearing out an office for you to join us here and Tommy will have an office at MQ Industries headquarters which is the old Merlyn Global building," Walter explained to him.

Oliver was surprised. Malcolm was certainly making a lot of plans without talking to them. He wondered what else the man had planned for them?

"What is MQ Industries doing with Stellmore International?" Oliver asked.

"The City Council is trying to continue the redevelopment of the Glades. After the fire, we stepped in and brought a lot of the property and redeveloped it. The council is looking for investors to redevelop the Old Glades but the first step is for the residents that currently occupy the lands to move," Walter explained getting up from his desk and walking into the private conference room that adjoined his office.

Oliver followed behind him. "They don't want to move?" Oliver asked.

There on the table was a scaled down version of the city. He recognised the Business District, Novus District but the area that was the Old Glades was completely different. This was the vision for the city.

"No a movement called _Save the Glades_ headed by Ted Grant and Sara Lance has been encouraging residents not to sell to the corporations. To preserve the neighbourhood the way it is," Walter told him.

"Oh,"

"It's caused _The Glades Reconstruction Project_ to come to a halt. All sides are at an impasse and the investors, such as Stellmore are getting antsy. We need to find a solution to the problem soon," Walter said.

"Interesting," Oliver said looking down at his watch. "I have to meet Tommy for a late lunch. I'll see you again, Walter."

"Of course," Walter said shaking Oliver's hand again before he left.

**S-8**

Oliver arrived at the Jade Dragon, a Chinese restaurant that was used as a front for the Triad in Star City, to find Tommy already seated with a pot of Green tea in front of him.

"There you are, I thought either the paparazzi ate you or you got lost. A few of the streets aren't quite where I remember them," Tommy quipped before calmly taking a sip of his tea.

"I noticed," Oliver said taking the seat opposite him.

A young Chinese girl arrived with a menu in English and Oliver spoke to her in Mandarin ordering them lunch.

"How did your reconnaissance go?" Tommy asked curiously while placing his tea cup back on the saucer.

"My mother showed me the camera system they use to monitor the city. It is quite extensive and will definitely be a problem for us. The only place without full coverage is the Old Glades," Oliver revealed.

"We will have to operate out of the old Glades then. Perhaps we could find an old building to set up base in," Tommy pondered aloud.

"Even if we got one, how do we get from the Mansion to there? The cameras will pick us up especially if we drive over the speed limit," Oliver countered.

"Yes I got a rather nice call from my father about that," Tommy said wryly reaching for his tea cup again.

"We need to do something about that system," Oliver reasoned.

"We could go through the forested area behind the Manor beyond the city borders and then drive back in," Tommy suggested after he had another sip of his tea.

"One, that would take a lot of time and two, all entrances to the city have multiple camera angles, even if they don't realise the few times, they'll eventually catch on to us after awhile," Oliver assured his friend.

Tommy sighed. Perhaps he could get his hands on a digital bomb and sabotage the entire system. "Just in case we need to, take a look around the wooded area this afternoon. I have your appointment with the shrink."

Oliver arched his eyebrow, "How did you manage that?"

"Long story but our food is on its way," Tommy said eyeing the waitress walking towards them with their food.

Once she was far enough away, Oliver asked "Anything interesting here?"

"Not that I could see but I don't speak Mandarin," Tommy pointed out.

"Or Russian," Oliver boasted.

"Next time we go to a Japanese Steak House," Tommy threatened lightly.

**S-9**

Thea had her algebra book open going through the problems the teacher had shown them on the board that day. Math was her worst subject and Malcolm kept commenting on her math grades every time he received a report. Her friends however, didn't even have a book out, preferring instead to gossip while they waited for the front door to open. They were so ridiculous, they made her camp out in the foyer once it was confirmed that her brothers were not home. Chairs had been pulled from rooms and they were sitting in a circle at the base of the stairs. Thea had been wise to pull an end table so she could rest her book on it to at least get some homework done.

The door started to open and Thea hoped that it was Malcolm. Usually she hated it when he interrupted her time with her friends but she was willing to make an exception today. Her hopes were dashed, when Ollie stepped through the door. He gave them that wide Queen smile.

"Hello ladies," Oliver said.

Her friends all buzzed with energy and as they smiled coyly at her brother.

"Thea introduce us," Carol said.

"Oliver, these are my friends," Thea drawled.

The door opened again and Malcolm emerged, his eyes narrowing in on the chairs that were out of place in foyer. Thea tried to remember which rule was the one that governed the inside presentation of the mansion.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked with a strict tone.

Her friends all fell quiet, all traces of their previous boldness with her brother gone. Thea was left to answer on her own. The old adage of friends carrying you but not bringing you back popped into her mind.

"It looks like their just hanging out Malcolm," Oliver replied jumping to his sister's aid.

That was what she had missed in the last five years. Her shield, Oliver would always shield her from whatever was going on. It was only after he was gone, had she realised how much he had done that but Malcolm was teaching her to be strong and she didn't need Oliver to be her shield anymore.

"We are studying," she said in an even tone.

Malcolm's eyes slid to the grandfather clock that stood by the coat room. It was accurate down to the second.

"It is 6:30pm Thea, the driver will take your friends home," he said firmly. There was no room for argument, not that one would change his mind anyway. Thea knew once he made a decision he did not back out of it.

"Please Mr. Merlyn just a few more minutes," Liz begged.

"Pick up your bags and get out now," Malcolm said his eyes blazing with anger.

"Yes Mr. Merlyn," they said grabbing their bags and running out the door.

"That was a bit harsh?" Oliver commented.

"I will not have them corrupting Thea and encouraging her in any bad habits. And I don't want you or Tommy thinking that it's ok to sleep with underage girls either."

"Tommy and I wouldn't," Oliver said defending himself.

"I hope you stick to that," Malcolm said moving away and heading upstairs.

Thea was angrily packing up her books while Oliver stood watching her. She shoved passed him to head upstairs and he held on to her wrist to stop her. Thea reacted dropping her books and twisting her wrist out of his grip, turning her wrist to grab on to his and bend his arm behind his back except Oliver's own reflexes kicked in and his other hand caught her hand and stopped her.

She was surprised by her brother's strength.

"Where did you learn how to do that Speedy?" he asked with a hint of astonishment.

"Malcolm sent me to self-defence classes. He doesn't want what happened to Rebecca to happen to me. How did you react so fast?" she countered.

"Thea, we may have been stuck on a deserted island but there was plenty of dangerous wild life. It honed our reflexes," Oliver revealed.

Thea made a show of rubbing her wrist. It didn't hurt at all, Malcolm had hit her with far worse when they trained. "I'm going to go get ready for dinner," she said heading up the stairs and ending the conversation.

**S-10**

For the second night in a row dinner at Queen Manor started at 7:00pm on the dot and the conversation was dominated by Malcolm Merlyn. He started off with a spiel about his day and the paparazzi that wouldn't listen to the court order to leave them alone. He quizzed both Moira and Thea about their days before he turned to them.

"How were your therapy sessions?" Malcolm asked.

"It went well," Tommy replied nonchalantly. "You may remember Dr. Kreukis and I are old friends."

"We remember," Moira assured him.

"What did you think of the good doctor Oliver?" Malcolm asked.

"About that," Tommy said sheepishly. "There was a slight hiccup at the office. A Ms. Bertinelli came in needing immediate attention and my appointment got pushed. I volunteered to take Oliver's appointment and reschedule him for another day."

Tommy watched his father closely. He didn't appear to be very happy that his son was pushed back in favour of Ms. Bertinelli.

"I see," Malcolm said a sharp edge to his voice that Tommy was unfamiliar with. From the way that Moira tensed however, she knew the tone well.

"Oliver I understand you drove around the city for quite a bit and even managed to fit in a visit with Walter," the elder Merlyn commented casually but both boys knew it was anything but.

"Yes I did. I wanted to see my dad's old office," Oliver admitted hoping the mention of Robert would stave off any inquisition Malcolm had.

"I hope you like what you saw. I'm hoping the two of you can join the company," Malcolm admitted.

"So soon?" Tommy questioned.

"Yes, I agree with your father. The both of you need to join the company," Moira said supporting Malcolm's declaration.

"Actually I was thinking we could do something slightly different. I heard about the _Save the Glades_ movement and I realised that Tommy and I are in a unique situation," Oliver said.

Malcolm focused in on Oliver, "How so?"

"We aren't a member of any side but we know each side. We could be the perfect intermediary. I understand that the problem needs to be resolved soon," Oliver told him.

"And you think you and Tommy can bring about a resolution," Malcolm said doubtfully.

"I think we could try. We both know Sara very well," Oliver pleaded.

"I think you might find the youngest Lance has changed quite a bit. You're wrong about not being a member of a side. Your last names alone place you squarely on our side but this could be a good platform for the both of you to join the company. I look forward to the results of your first talk with Ms. Lance, that is if you can convince her to come out of the Old Glades," Malcolm said.

Oliver smiled, "I'm sure we'll find a way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. 
> 
> In the next chapter you can look forward to meeting their ARGUS handler. Some reviewers have started speculating as to who it will be. Who do you think it is?


	4. The Handler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Arrow.
> 
> Nobody guessed The Handler right! It makes me wonder if I'm taking this story in the right direction. I hope you still enjoy the chapter below.

The Old Glades was exactly the way they remembered it. The small family owned grocery stores, the ethnic shops, even the hole in the wall they used to buy liquor from when they were underage was still there. The first homeless person they saw was outside the only shelter that still existed in the city. The City Council had a programme to remove homeless people from the city and thus both the Business District and Novus District were clean. Oliver made a mental note to look into the programme to see where they were relocating the people to.

They passed an old rundown house that was supposed to be a crack house. They had gone once to sample the goods but had gotten distracted by a few hot girls that very much wanted to sample what the boys had to offer. That was probably a good thing since it kept them from getting hooked on drugs. The house looked deserted but at night time it was probably more crowded.

The street cameras in this area were either broken or disconnected. Despite that fact that the cameras could help reduce crime the residents actively destroyed the cameras since there fear of being watched and controlled by the City Council was far greater than that of the petty crimes that went on in the neighbourhood.

Indeed everything Malcolm described about the Old Glades was there yet he made no effort to help them. Instead he sat in his glass tower and demanded that they sell out and move so that he could make his dream come true.

Oliver and Tommy pulled up in front of the Big Belly Burger they used to frequent after long nights of drinking. The parking lot was full and they had to wait for an old Toyota Camry to move before they parked the white Jaguar they had taken that day. Through the windows they could see a long line to order food. They were scheduled to meet with their ARGUS handler here and the instructions were to sit at the only booth that had one person.

The smell of hot greasy food hit Oliver's nose as he entered the small establishment and for the first time since Oliver returned to Star City he relaxed. A quick survey of the room revealed a brunette woman in her early thirties seated by herself in a booth in the back. She had an excellent view of the floor and the front door which also meant if they were joining her, they would have to slide in with their backs to the door. Oliver didn't like that. It was also a booth that had the advertising on it so you could see out but people passing couldn't see in.

"Lyla," Tommy said with a wide smile.

"You've worked with her before?" Oliver asked.

"She's the best. Trust me Oliver, you'll like her. She is nothing like Waller," Tommy said taking the lead in heading over to the booth. "Her codename is Harbinger. You might have heard of her."

Oliver nodded. He had heard of Harbinger, "She headed that mission."

Tommy gave an imperceptible nod just before they arrived at the table.

"Good day my fair lady," Tommy said charmingly. "The restaurant is a bit crowded and my friend and I had our hearts set on eating in today. We haven't enjoyed a good burger in years!" he said. "All of the other booths are taken and I'm hoping you'll be a kind soul and take pity on us and let us join you," he said loud enough for the occupants of the booths nearest to them to hear. The paparazzi had been following them and their appearance in Big Belly Burger wouldn't go unnoticed by everyone. They needed a reason to be seated at the booth.

Lyla gave a good show of looking hesitant before she invited them to sit and they both slid into the booth. A waitress named Carly appeared quickly and took their order.

"You're looking well Tommy," Lyla said.

"You too. How's the ex?" Tommy asked wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"He's good but we are not here to talk about him," Lyla admonished.

"No we're not," Tommy agreed.

"Is it safe to talk here?" Oliver queried eyeing the large crowd.

"I have a blocker activated under the table so people won't be able to listen in electronically and this place at lunch time is so loud sometimes I can't even here myself think. I doubt anyone on the next table could ease drop."

Tommy nodded absently.

"Do you have my bow?" Oliver asked rubbing his fore finger and thumb together.

"You'll get is soon," Lyla said.

"You didn't bring it with you?" Oliver asked incredulously.

Lyla gave him a serious look. "I doubt I could pull off carrying a bow around and handing it off to you without someone getting suspicious particularly with the three paparazzi that just walked in through the door."

"Don't mind him Lyla. He gets antsy when he has nothing to shoot at or nothing to shoot with in this case," Tommy said.

"How has your reintegration been? Does your family suspect anything?" Lyla asked.

"Everything has gone exactly as Waller expected," Oliver said in an even tone.

"Good, you can start your investigations soon. Based on the file we recommend you start with Martin Summers. He was originally only connected to the Triad but after the fire he started working with all of the organised crime families. If the Tempest group is responsible for keeping the order, Mr. Summers might report directly to them."

"We've done some initial reconnaissance work under the guise of getting reacquainted with the City again. There is an elaborate camera system in place that covers most of the city. We need a tech person to scrub our identities from the system while we work," Oliver said.

"Waller has dedicated all the staff she can spare to this op," Lyla responded.

Oliver growled in disapproval, "Bullshit, she has a room full of techs. For this opp to succeed we are going to need a specialist," Oliver insisted. "Neither of us know how to hack the camera system and if we did we would probably leave a trail. We need someone who can mess with the system and the administrators won't even know."

"You're going to have to develop your own asset then. Target an administrator of the system or look within your own company," Lyla advised.

"I am not developing an asset for ARGUS," Oliver spat.

"It won't be for ARGUS it will be your asset and I promise you ARGUS won't interfere with your asset. You can use ARGUS's mainframe to run background checks. Between the two of you, I'm sure you'll be able to recruit someone trustworthy."

"Sounds like fun," Tommy quipped.

Carly returned with their order. As she placed their burgers in front of them she teased Lyla that John wouldn't approve of her eating with two spoilt billionaires. Lyla fired back that if Johnny had a problem with it then he should come talk to her. Carly laughed and headed back to another table.

"A friend?" Oliver asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Former sister-in-law," she replied evenly before looking sternly at Tommy, "Don't even start with the Johnny comments."

Tommy held his hands up in defence, "I didn't say a word."

Lyla stared at him for a moment before getting back on track, "Are you going to be running your opp from the Mansion?" she asked.

"We haven't given that much thought yet. We're still getting a feel for the lay of the land," Tommy said.

"Plus Malcolm is trying to get both of us into the company. I've managed to delay him a bit," Oliver admitted.

"I suggest you find another location before a maid stumbles into an arrow while cleaning a room," Lyla advised.

"We'll handle it," Oliver promised.

"Since you're both billionaires I'm sure you won't mind picking up my tab. It's been great eating with you gentlemen I'll be on my way now," Lyla said getting up from the table.

"Tell Waller I still wish she would go to hell," Tommy said.

"I'll convey your sentiments," she said with a smirk.

Oliver looked at Tommy, "You tell Waller to go to hell?"

"All the bloody time," he grinned.

**S-2**

The dilapidated sign on the building said Wildcat Gym.

"Are you sure this is where we can find Sara?" Tommy said surveying the area with a frown. There were high weeds all around the outside of the building, the guttering had one or two plants growing in it on one side and on the other side, it had fallen to the ground. The door to the gym looked like if you pulled hard enough it would come off its hinges.

"Yes, Walter told me we would find her here," Oliver replied.

"Can we trust Walter?" Tommy asked.

Oliver stopped to look incredulously at Tommy. "Of course we can. Why would he lie about where to find Sara? He was my dad's best friend and my mom told me I could talk to him about QC. Besides your dad has put him in charge of a significant portion of the business. Malcolm has always been very careful about who he trusts," Oliver reasoned.

Tommy snorted, "If my dad could run the entire company himself he would. I'm sure he has a way of keeping an eye on Walter."

Tommy walked forward first and carefully opened the door. It was much sturdier than he thought it would be. His nose was assaulted by the smell of sweat reminding him how much he hated gyms. There was no formal greeting area, just a small corridor that lead out into a wide open area with a boxing ring in the middle. There was a punching bag and mats off to one side, a weight room on the other and a door he hoped led to showers. Based on the look of the exterior Tommy would never have guessed that the inside was so well equipped.

"They even have a Wing Chu dummy," Tommy said in disbelieve pointing to it in the back of the room.

"No salmon ladder though," Oliver countered.

Tommy rolled his eyes. Oliver was obsessed with that thing. He was surprised he hadn't moved one into the home gym yet.

"I don't see Sara anywhere," Tommy pointed out.

Oliver shrugged before walking over to a girl of average height with short black hair. She was organising the weights for the bench press.

"Excuse me I'm looking for Sara Lance?" he asked casually.

She stopped what she was doing and looked him up and down cautiously, "Who's asking?"

"An old friend," Oliver replied. "We go way back."

She thought it over for a second before tipping her head in the direction of the ring, "She's in the ring with Isaac." Oliver's surprise must have shown on his face because the girl smirked up at him, "That's right pretty boy she can kick your ass if you get to handsy with her."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said heading back over to Tommy.

Inside the ring was a short female with long dirty blonde hair flowing out the back of her red helmet. She was facing a much taller black man. Outside the ring, there was a Hispanic man giving pointers to Isaac reminding him to keep his guard up. He must be the coach. What the Isaac probably had in strength, he lacked in speed. Sara would block or duck under his blows and then dart closer to him quickly and land a few punches. She was fast and precise. If this match was being judged, Sara would be racking up a lot of points.

"Can I help you two?" the Hispanic man asked them.

"We're here to talk to Sara," Oliver said nodding to the centre of the ring where Sara had just landed a right hook on the man's jaw.

"I don't think she wants to talk to a Queen or Merlyn," the man said on her behalf.

"You can't possibly know that," Tommy pointed out.

"I'm her husband. I think I'm allowed to speak on my wife's behalf," he retorted.

"Sara's married!" Tommy sputtered before wincing as the man landed a hit on Sara. She recoiled back and stumbled slightly. Both Tommy and Oliver were ready to jump into the ring and help her but she steady herself and launched her counterattack.

"Should she be in the ring fighting?" Tommy asked.

The man snorted, "My wife can handle herself. She's no damsel in distress," he said proudly.

The match continued on until the bell went off signalling the end of the round. The man ordered Isaac to hit the showers and Sara invited him in to spa with her. She called him Ted and they realised that was Ted Grant.

Oliver watched impressed as Sara boxed with Ted. To an outsider it looked like a normal bout in the ring but Oliver could see it was more than that. There was a push and pull, as well as a certain playfulness to their attacks. This was some kind of foreplay for them. Sara would occasionally glance at them but she never acknowledged them, instead choosing to continue her sparring with Ted.

"$50 bucks they keep us waiting until they close," Tommy said.

Oliver looked at his watch, it was 5:00pm and the crooked sign on the side of the building had said the gym closed at 8:00pm.

"You're on," Oliver said with a smirk. Time may have changed all of them but he was counting on Sara to still have that impatient streak. Their refusal to leave would wear her down faster than her stubbornness to ignore them. 15 minutes later Oliver was right, Sara was the one to break first. She angrily threw her gloves and helmet to the brunette he spoke to earlier named Sin.

She marched over to them, her face flushed from the physical exertion, "We're not selling. No one on this side of the Glades is selling. We are not going to submit and go live in one of those fancy apartment buildings that take away your freedom. I suggest you go back to Malcolm Merlyn and tell him go to hell," Sara yelled climbing out of the ring between the second and third ropes and jumping down next to them.

Oliver broke out in a huge grin, "It's nice to see you to Sara," he said breaking the tension in the air.

Tommy laughed, "There went all my naughty fantasies of how you were going to welcome us back Lance. The whole way to China all I heard about was what you promised you would do to Oliver on the way there," Tommy said.

"You were supposed to be on that boat?" a confused Ted asked his wife.

Sara threw a glare at Tommy before turning back to her partner with a sheepish look, "I was invited to go but Tommy stopped me," she turned back to Tommy, "Thank you for that by the way."

"You're welcome. You're on top of my _Lives that I Saved_ list but I was really doing it to preserve your relationship with Laurel at the time," Tommy admitted.

Sara made a face at the mention of Laurel, "There was no hope for that relationship and what list?"

"Nothing," Oliver said throwing a glare at Tommy. His best friend may be comfortable talking about the island but that didn't mean he had to broadcast what they went through to everyone.

An awkward silence settled over the four of them before Ted decided to break it, "I'm Ted Grant," he said holding out his hand, Oliver gripped it first followed by Tommy. "You're both much stronger than you look," he commented.

"Surviving a deserted island for 5 years can do that to you," Tommy said lightly.

"Why are you two here?" Sara asked.

"My father wanted us to start working in the business but we're not ready for that yet. Oliver heard about the impasse between the Old Glades and the Corporations and he thought us offering to be peaceful intermediaries would be a great way to avoid my father for the time we really are here to catch up," he revealed leaning against the ring.

Sara watched them warily.

"Promise," Tommy said, "We're really interested in what we missed over the last five years."

"There's a Korean place down the road," Ted offered. "You could catch up over dinner."

"Excellent I love Kim Chi," Tommy said clapping his hands together in enthusiasm.

"We have classes," Sara said to Ted.

"I can handle them. Sin can help me with the equipment. You can order my favourite to go and I'll meet you at home," he said placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I'm sure," he said dropping a kiss to the middle of her forehead. Sara's eyes fell shut and she leaned into him.

"I guess its Korean for dinner then."

**S-3**

The Korean place was four buildings down from the gym. It was owned by an elderly man who had migrated from Seoul 70 years before. His grandchildren were currently responsible for running it while he sat in the corner and sipped his tea. It was places like this that had disappeared from the other districts.

Sara stared amazed as both Oliver AND Tommy used chopsticks. "If I remember correctly, Laurel always said the only thing the two of you knew how to do with chop sticks was throw them at each other."

"We weren't that helpless," Tommy said with a goofy grin.

"You were. It's amazing the two of you even had the skills to survive a deserted island," Sara teased.

When she saw how both of them tensed she realised she had hit a nerve, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok. Maybe one day Dr. Kreukis will get us to the point where we can joke about it," Tommy said flippantly.

Sara frowned, "You're going to that idiot? You always said that his sessions never helped you deal with your mother's death. It was your friendship with Oliver that got you through it."

"That is true but we just got back from a traumatic event. Malcolm insisted we go. If it keeps the peace, it's a small sacrifice to make," Tommy responded.

"I never imagined you getting married Sara," Oliver admitted to change the direction of the conversation away from the island.

"Neither did I!" Sara responded, "And married to a man no less." When both Tommy and Oliver looked confused Sara laughed. "I'm bi-sexual. After the Gambit went down, I hooked up with a girl named Lisa. It was love at first sight. Her father was one of the fire inspectors that was conducting the investigations in the fire and we met when he came to get a police report from my dad," Sara said fondly.

"Tell us about the fire," Oliver asked. They had heard about it and had ARGUS's report but they didn't have a first-hand account from someone who had been here for it.

"Over 500 people died in the fire on the west side. It was a miracle that the wind changed direction and kept it away from this side," Sara said. "Any other night and the entire Glades might have gone up in smoke."

"I don't understand how one fire could do so much damage?" Oliver admitted.

"The initial report said the houses were too close and badly built, there was also a rumour about a gas line below the houses fuelling the fire," Sara said, "But the final report never said anything about that."

"Couldn't the fire fighters stop it?" Tommy asked.

Sara gave a bitter laugh, "They were out of water. The large main that supplies the Glades with water ruptured earlier in the day and the water had been turned off to fix the main. The firefighters had to truck water in from the other side of the city."

Tommy frowned. The whole thing sounded very suspicious.

"After the ash settled, Merlyn Global and Queen Consolidated stepped in and bought up the property. Once they started developing new designs for the city, they began threatening residents on this side to sell so that they could do the reconstruction in one go. They wanted to expand and create this vision they had. A vision that didn't include the residents of the Glades. Ted and a few other residents stood up to them. When their protests started making nationwide headlines the corporations backed down and focused on building Novus District instead."

"How did you hook up with Ted?" Tommy asked curiously.

"Lisa and I were really great together but one day out of the blue, her family just picked up and moved. I came down here looking for them but they were gone. I reported it to my father but he said Lisa's dad got a new job in another town and they chose to move. I was distraught and I got into a lot of trouble. Ted's gym gave me an outlet. He understands me in a way no one has ever understood me before. Not even my dad or Laurel," Sara said. Her eyes were glazed over as she remembered her past.

"I can imagine your dad was real thrilled when you married a boxer," Oliver quipped. The Detective had never been a fan of Oliver's relationship with Laurel. He could only imagine how he would have reacted to some boxer from the Glades marrying his youngest.

Sara snorted, "It wasn't so much that he was a boxer that upset him. Ted is on the opposite side. Laurel and dad support the corporations. They agree with the way they've been cleaning up the streets and the new society they are trying to create. Hooking up with Ted meant that I was hooking up with the enemy. They told me they couldn't support our relationship. Dad and Laurel never came to the wedding. Mom keeps telling me that they will come around eventually but they haven't yet. Laurel didn't even invite me to her wedding," Sara said sadly.

Oliver reached out and took Sara's hand in his, "I'm sorry things haven't turned out to great."

Sara gave them a wry smile, "You see," she said to Tommy, "I didn't even have to sleep with Oliver to ruin my relationship with them. I still managed to find another way."

Tommy reached out for Sara's hand as well, "There loss is our gain," he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Sara punched him in the arm, "Don't flirt with a married women!" she laughed.

"Ow," Tommy said. "You hit hard. Don't punch spoilt rich kids. We can't take a hit," he said rubbing his arm.

Sara laughed and Oliver actually cracked a smile. It was the best dinner they had had since they were back.

**S-4**

It was night time by the time they finished with dinner. Malcolm had called at 6:30pm demanding to know where they were and nearly had a nuclear meltdown when he learned they were in the Glades meeting with Sara. They advised him that they were nearly complete and would be home within the hour. They dropped Sara home but Oliver made a slight detour through to the Glades to survey an old building located in what was the old warehouse district.

"Why are we stopping here?" Tommy asked.

"This is the old QC steel factory. My father shut it down just before we left for china," Oliver said looking over at the building.

"Yes I remember. It was in one of the documents he made me read. He stiffed all the workers on their severance pay, pensions and health benefits. Saved millions but ruined hundreds of lives," Tommy said staring out the window at the building.

"I'm going to ask Malcolm for it," Oliver revealed.

"Why?" Tommy asked letting his gaze slide to Oliver.

"Because Lyla was right. We need a base of operations. We can't function out of the mansion. Our parents and Thea are there," Oliver reasoned.

"How on earth are you going to convince him to give you an entire building?" Tommy asked.

"Don't worry I got a plan," Oliver said putting the car in gear and pulling away from the building.

They made it two blocks before the flashing of police lights caught their attention. Oliver pulled aside and an unmarked car pulled up beside them. They both recognised Detective Lance in the driver's seat.

"Detective Lance what can we do for you?" Tommy asked.

"It's Captain Lance now kid and the two of you need to get out of the Glades. It is not safe to be in here at night," Lance stated in serious tone.

"Really, we haven't had any trouble," Tommy responded innocently. If they did come across trouble, the two of them could more than handle it.

"I will escort you out," Lance said firmly.

"Isn't that a bit much?" Oliver asked with the clueless rich boy face in place.

"Just get driving kid before I arrest you for obstructing the law again," Lance threatened in that tone he loved to use on them when they were younger.

"Ok, we're on our way," Oliver said pulling off.

Lance fell in line behind them and followed them all the way to the gates of the mansion.

**S-5**

Moira ordered security to notify her as soon as the boys arrived. She needed to talk to them about missing dinner. Malcolm had made it quite clear to her that it was her responsibility to make sure the boys adjusted to the new way of life and not fall back into old habits. Their arrival had thrown things off schedule and other members were wary of the disorder both boys might bring to the city. She needed to ensure they didn't do anything bad that would cause Malcolm or other members to take action against them.

She should be very ashamed of herself for what she was about to do. She was going to use dinner the exact way Malcolm did, as a way to control them. She knew very well that Malcolm held court every night during dinner. It was his way of gathering information from her and keeping her in line. As much as she hated it, she had to admit it had brought a sense of stability to her daughter's life and prevented Thea from spiralling out of control, something Moira had been struggling to do.

She ambushed the boys at the base of the steps, "You should have called to say you were unable to attend dinner tonight," she said in a stern voice.

"Sorry," Oliver said with the face he always used on her to get her on his side. "We got carried away catching up with Sara."

"I hope your conversation went well. You promised Malcolm results," she stated fishing for information about the meeting.

"It did go well but you can't expect people to change overnight," Tommy replied.

"No we can't," Moira agreed. "It took five years to get Star City onto the right path and we don't want to derail that process. Please ensure you make it to dinner in the future," Moira stressed.

"It's just dinner," Tommy chidded.

Of course the boys would put up a united front against her. They had survived five years on a deserted island together. She couldn't imagine how deep their bond went.

"Tommy it is more than just a dinner. It is a time where we sit and bond as a family. It is even more important now that we got the both of you back. We are just beginning to get to know each other again. It is important to be here. Please I would like to get to know my children again," Moira said adding on the pleading mother tone.

As expected Oliver was the first to cave, "Ok, we'll be here."

She walked up to her son and cupped his face in her hands, "My darling boy I can't even express how happy I am to have you back."

"It's late," Tommy said abruptly.

"Of course," Moira said pulling away from her son. "I'm sure you need your rest."

She watched both boys walk up the stairs. She knew she had probably bought herself another week of family dinners before they would start wanting to go out. She needed to find a way to control their behaviour without them realising what she was doing.

**S-6**

Tommy started at the ceiling in his room waiting for sleep to take him but it was eluding him. He closed his eyes and memories of Mariko flashed in his mind. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think of her.

_Tommy had been in the room for two days before Mariko returned with two men, one holding a tripod and a camera, and the other holding a folded white table and two white chairs. The men started setting up the equipment in his room._

" _Good morning Mr. Merlyn," Mariko said pleasantly. She was dressed in a pastel yellow kimono today with the blue outline of a dragon._

" _Oh its morning, kind of hard to tell without the windows but I guess that's the purpose of locking me in this little cell," Tommy said sardonically._

_Mariko gave him a confused look, "Locked? Who said you were locked in here?"_

" _Please don't play games with me. You don't throw people into an open cell," Tommy spat at her._

" _Who said you were in a cell. You should really test your assumptions before you make them fact in your mind Mr. Merlyn," she advised him while one of the men placed the chairs on opposite sides of the now open table._

" _What is all that for?" he said pointing to the set up._

" _Your first lesson," Mariko responded taking a seat on one of the chairs. She invited him to sit on the chair opposite her. The tripod and camera were set up next to her and were focused on him. He could see the red light that indicated that the camera was on._

" _Everything is set up Mariko-sama," the man bowed and left the room with the other one._

" _Time to start, so tell me your name," she said to him._

_He scoffed, "You know my fucking name."_

" _I suppose I do but I need you to confirm that you are Thomas Merlyn born February 1_ _st_ _1985 to Malcolm and Rebecca Merlyn," she stated evenly._

" _Why?" he asked._

" _Because a man should know who he is," she replied._

_He got the feeling that there was more weight to her words than just him knowing his name. He thinks about it for a moment before replying, "Yes I am Tommy Merlyn."_

_She smiles, "Excellent. Tell me about the island," she prods._

_She looking intently at him. He knows she's analysing him but he can't help the automatic scowl at the mention of that place. He does not want to discuss what happened on the island with her. He knows Fyers submitted monthly reports to his benefactor which was Amanda Waller so Mariko can just look at those reports instead of asking him._

" _Not interested in talking about the island, ok. Do you like sex?" she asked in a clinical tone._

_Tommy spluttered at the quick change of subject. "What?" he found himself asking._

" _My research into you," she explained, "there were plenty of tabloid articles of you with a different woman every night. Do you like sex or were you just compensating for something," she asked._

" _I'm not compensating for anything," he answered quickly._

" _You sure," she teases wiggling her pinky finger at him._

" _Definitely not that, the whole world would have heard by now if Tommy Merlyn had a tiny dick," he pointed out to her._

_She pursed her lips, "That may be true. Maybe you were secretly hooking up with Oliver Queen. He does accompany you in a lot of the pictures."_

" _You're sick," Tommy spat at her. "Oliver is my best friend. He's my brother that would be incest."_

" _There are quite a few people out there that enjoy incest," she commented._

" _Are you one of those?" Tommy fired back at her._

" _No," she said before choosing to add, "But I'm an only child anyway. Much like you yet you consider your best friend your brother."_

" _If you had a best friend then maybe you would understand," Tommy replied in a clipped tone._

" _There you go with the assumptions again Mr. Merlyn. The wrong assumptions can be very deadly in a fight," she advised him._

" _Speaking of fight, I still don't know when I'm being shipped off to that island," Tommy said bringing the issue to her attention._

_She smiles, "All in good time Mr. Merlyn. For now I think I have enough information to build my next lesson."_

_She changes language and calls the two men back into the room. One starts with the camera and tripod and the other starts folding the table. Tommy goes back to sitting on the bed and Mariko leaves with the men and the equipment. When the door closes Tommy stares at it. He walks up to it and carefully places his hand on the door knob, when nothing bad happens he turns it and the door opens, "Well I'll be damned," he said._

Tommy isn't sure why he's thinking about that particular memory. Mariko taught him a lot of things, most importantly how to open up and trust again. He looks out the window and can see the outline of the new moon. He hated the new moon on the island but it would be a perfect opportunity to sneak into the city.

'Fuck it,' he thought rolling off the bed grabbing Mikoto from under it. He was going to have a little fun at Mr. Summers expense tonight.

**S-7**

Oliver was seated at the back of the Star City Jitters Coffee House. It was a fancy coffee shop in the Entertainment District. It offered free Wi-Fi and Oliver was there to take advantage of that. He bought a laptop at the local tech village and loaded the programme ARGUS gave him to log onto their secure network. He had several background checks to run on the employees of MQ Industries. He was supposed to be going to his first meeting with Dr. Kreukis but since Tommy had said seeing the Dr. wasn't a big sacrifice he had convinced Tommy to go in his stead.

Earlier in the day he visited Walter to discuss the QC Steel Factory and the future plans for it. He was pleased with the outcome of the meeting and on the way out he grabbed an internal phone directory off of Walter's Executive Assistant's desk. He zeroed in on the IT and Cyber Security Department as well as a programming department that worked on government contracts. There were experts in fields he had never heard of. Based on his research so far he had short listed three names William Tockman, Mark Scheffer and Felicity Smoak.

William Tockman was in charge of the IT department. His background came back squeaky clean which unsettled Oliver. The man had never even gotten a parking ticket. He didn't like clean backgrounds. He logged a request for an extensive background check which would go through the person's finances, family and friends. He was noted to be a very talented programmer and his skills were more than adequate for the work they needed done. He would assess the man's personality and trustworthiness during his first meeting with him.

Mark Scheffer was an expert in cellular technology and munitions. According to the ARGUS database he was the lead scientist at MQ Industries working with the use of cellular technology in the military. He had a juve record which was sealed though. He would have to break into the records department at the Juvenile Detention Centre in Coast City to see what he had been held for. He noted that the psychometric testing that the military did revealed he had strong psychopathic tendencies. In other words, he was a psychopath but they were willing to overlook it because he did good work. Oliver wasn't sure how he felt about working closely with another psychopath but having a munitions expert around could be a good thing.

Felicity Smoak's background raised a few red flags off the bat. Her father was a known criminal, Noah Kuttler aka The Calculator. While he didn't appear to have much say in her upbringing, his genius had been passed on to her. She attended MIT at a young age and graduated with her masters in cyber-security early. There was one incident that stood out in her college career. Her boyfriend had created a cyber virus and hacked the Department of Education with it to erase student loans. The NSA picked him up but Waller had flagged the case. The notes on Ms. Smoak's file indicate that Waller suspected that Ms. Smoak had been the one to create the virus. He hated to admit this but Waller was usually spot on with her instincts. Ms. Smoak had stayed out of trouble since she joined the company so there was no reason for Waller to pick her up. Based on the trackers Waller had placed on her, the Director of ARGUS was dying to recruit her. If she passed his tests, he might just recruit her and rub it in the Director's face.

The asset he chose needed to be someone that could look beyond the small picture to the larger issues at play. It had to be someone that wasn't afraid to operate outside of the law to right the wrongs being committed. He was planning a series of tests for them before he involved them in their mission.

**S-8**

It was 7:00pm on the dot and they were all seated around the dining table. As with all the previous dinners, Raisa started serving Malcolm first before moving on to anyone else. Once she was finished, she left the room leaving them to eat in peace or as Oliver was beginning to think, sit through the inquisition. Malcolm started his questioning with Thea first, then Moira before he moved onto them.

"You both missed dinner yesterday," he said to both boys cutting into his perfectly cooked steak.

"We were having a business meeting," Tommy answered reaching for his glass of red wine that had been matched to the meal by the sommelier that Malcolm kept on staff. He had to admit the man really did earn the title sommelier.

"Yes Ms. Lance. I hope you really met for business and nothing else," Malcolm said reproachfully.

Thea put down her cutlery and was looking back and forth between her brothers and Malcolm. Tommy could see she was very interested in the outcome of this discussion. Moira hadn't even paused to consider them yet but he knew she was listening intently.

"It was business. They have some serious concerns that I don't think we can charm them out of. But there's something else I want to try," Oliver said looking at Malcolm.

Malcolm put his cutlery down on the plate and looked up at Oliver genuinely curious, "And what might that be Oliver?" he asked.

"The old QC steel factory. I want to renovate it and make it a modern day community centre. I want to show them not to be afraid of modern day living," Oliver started to explain.

Tommy decided to jump in there. He knew they were really going to have to sell this point to his father, and he severely doubted Oliver's ability to do so, "From what we understood The Old Glades feel like you're trying to control them. Building them a new community centre run by MQI will build a level of trust. It can open their eyes. How are they supposed to understand the benefits of Novus District when they've never lived liked that? I never understood what survival was until I arrived on that island," Tommy said playing the island card something he knew Oliver would be unable to do.

"And you think this community centre is a way forward?" Malcolm retorted in a sour tone.

"Yes sir," Oliver answered before Tommy. If Malcolm was going to blow his fuse, Oliver wanted to be the one to take the brunt of it.

"I don't think I need to remind you that my wife, Rebecca," he stopped to look at Tommy before adding "Your mother," he stressed, "Had a free clinic in the Glades and those ungrateful people she tried to help shot her dead. Her clinic was one of the first buildings to burn in the fire. The MQI apartment tower in Novus District is built upon her clinic. We have been down this road before tying to help those animals and it doesn't work!" He was practically shouting by the time he finished.

"With all due respect Mr. Merlyn, you allowed us to use this as our first project for MQI. Are you going to give us the leeway to move forward with our own plans or are you going to run it for us?" Oliver said looking him straight in the eye. There wasn't the slightest bit of fear in Oliver's voice.

Moira inhaled sharply at his attitude, Thea's eyes widened with the brazen way he had talked to Malcolm and Tommy was studying his plate intensely.

"Very well. You may continue you with your way forward. As Tommy said, sometimes the only way to understand something is to experience it so when this project falls flat on the ground maybe then you will understand that those animals can't be helped," Malcolm said caving. "Talk to Walter about using the property."

Oliver smirked, "I already did. I've sent out a request for proposals to several leading architectural firms to design the new centre. There's a site meeting tomorrow for them to see what they are working with."

Malcolm arched his eyebrow, "You appear to have everything under control. I hope for your sake you actually do Oliver."

"I assure you, contrary to what you believe, this is a great investment," Oliver insisted boldly.

"That remains to be seen," Malcolm said before turning to his son, "Tommy, since it seems like Oliver's done most of the groundwork so far, I think you should develop the budget for this community centre."

"I'm sure I can do that," Tommy said confidently looking up from his plate to meet his father's gaze.

"Good I want it next week," Malcolm said with a wicked gleam in his eye. He knew he was pushing his son.

"Next week!" Tommy protested.

Malcolm smiled, "Monday by 4:00pm."

Tommy narrowed his eyes at the challenge, "You'll have it by 3."

Malcolm smirked proudly at Tommy's response before turning to Oliver, "On to other matters now, Oliver, you did not attend your meeting with Dr. Kreukis today."

It was Tommy's turn to step up and protect Oliver this time, "I was feeling kind of overwhelmed this morning with all of the changes around me so I thought a quick visit with the good old Doctor would help me. Oliver graciously let me take his appointment."

Malcolm narrowed his eyes at both of them. He looked between Oliver and Tommy. His gaze was calculative. "Oliver, I rescheduled you for an appointment tomorrow morning at 8. Don't miss this one." The warning was very clear in his tone and Oliver nodded his head solemnly. He knew he had probably pushed his luck far enough and he would have to go to the next appointment. He already had a plan to go and sleep on the Doctor's couch for the hour. He idly wondered if the good doctor would be brave enough to wake him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suppose now you can guess when Felicity will make her appearance. Any wild guesses on what Tommy did?
> 
> The next chapter will be up in the New Year.


	5. Alive Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own Arrow. This chapter is a long one! Enjoy.

One month had passed since they had returned to Star City. Amanda Waller had demanded an update on the progress they had made in their mission. They responded via encrypted message that they were working on it. Tommy wanted to add a series of curses at the end but Oliver reminded him that they didn't want to poke that particular bear. Just because they were back in Star City didn't necessarily mean that their family was safe until they completed the mission.

They filled their days with reconnaissance work since neither boy wanted to ask Malcolm for funds to go out. They were still legally dead and couldn't even get their credit cards reinstated. That was all going to change this week. The court hearing to declare them alive would be held in two days.

They were relaxing by the pool, Tommy with a scotch, Oliver a glass of Russian Vodka discussing how things should proceed after the court hearing.

"I think we need girlfriends," Tommy said thoughtfully. "And also our own apartments."

"What?" Oliver asked turning to his head to stare at his friend in bewilderment.

"Playboys Tommy Merlyn and Oliver Queen have returned from the island and have yet to be spotted with a woman on their arms. We need to do something about that. Plus it would be a grate excuse to get an apartment and avoid those nightly interrogations," Tommy said chucking his thumb in the direction of the dining room.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Oliver admitted.

"The girlfriends or avoiding family dinner?" Tommy asked.

"Both," Oliver responded.

"Ok, Dr. Kreukis has to have told you by now that you need to move on with your life," Tommy said exasperatedly.

Oliver gave Tommy a wide smirk, "You mean he would have gotten there if I was actually awake for his sessions."

Tommy snorted, "We both know you aren't letting your guard down in his office to really sleep."

"That just goes to show you how bad of a therapist he is if he can't tell I'm faking sleep," Oliver pointed out taking a sip from his vodka.

"We can't let what happened during our time away control us. We need to move on and live our lives," Tommy stated emphatically.

"This is not about that. I'm concerned about Thea. Since our return she's kept a cool distance from us. It's like she's not sure how she's supposed to interact with us and is waiting for some sort of approval to talk with us," Oliver admitted.

"I noticed that too," Tommy admitted.

"I'm not leaving Thea alone. If you want to get an apartment, then go ahead. I'll keep living here," Oliver told his friend.

"I think a nice brunette would be good for you," Tommy said going back to the original topic.

"Can we just drop this please? I don't need that complication in my life. As it is The Bratva seem to be upset about something. I've tried talking to my low level contacts but they haven't told me anything."

Tommy gave him a sheepish look.

Oliver groaned, "What did you do?"

"I may have had a little fun on the docks one night at Mr. Summers's expense. I kind of switched a few cargo manifests here and there. Goods for the Triad went to the Bratva, Russian girls went to the Irish, essentially nobody got what they were supposed to," Tommy said with a devilish grin.

"I suppose you had a reason for this," Oliver inquired.

"Yes, shake the apple tree and see what falls out," Tommy said sipping at his scotch. This was probably going to be the last warm day of the year. Soon the pool would be emptied and covered over for the winter. He was determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

"Tommy they must have caught you on camera!" Oliver stated angrily. Tommy could see the veins at the side of Oliver's neck pulse.

"They probably did but it wasn't me they caught. Searches will come up blank," Tommy responded unconcerned.

"Just because you wore a mask doesn't mean it was any less reckless," Oliver replied.

"It was brilliant! You're just mad you didn't think of it first," Tommy gloated.

**S-2**

The next day, Tommy was seated in 's office for his weekly session. The good Doctor thought Tommy was making fantastic improvement and only needed to see him once a week. Oliver didn't get such a glowing review and he had appointments three times a week. Tommy had taken to staring at the print of Van Gough's _Starry Night_ on the wall in the reception area while he waited for his session. That painting held a lot of significance to him.

_The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was that painting on the wall. He didn't know a thing about art but he knew if Moira Queen was there she would be telling him it was a work of art. He had moved out of his tiny padded cell to the sofa that was located in the staff lounge where he was being held. It was a hell of a lot more comfortable than that tiny bed plus he enjoyed watching the TV._

_When he opened the door to his cell, he discovered his room was at the end or beginning, depending on what view you took, of a long corridor lined with doors. To his left was a large open area with a large flat screen TV, sofa, chairs, table and kitchenette. There was a large red sign that said exit and he headed towards that door first, only to be disappointed when he saw the security key pad in place next to the exit._

_He then started down the corridor to the other end where another door was located. He looked in each room as he passed. The first few rooms were empty of people but contained hospital beds and equipment. About half way down the corridor, he discovered the first room with a person in it. There was an unconscious man on the bed. The machines were all on and were recording his vitals. The next room was occupied by a female but from what he could see it looked like she didn't have any legs. The doors to the rooms were all unlocked but Tommy didn't feel comfortable invading their room even if they were unconscious._

_The door at the end of the corridor was also protected by a security key pad. So much for the talk about not being in a cell. It was just a much bigger cell than he originally thought. He eventually discovered that he was in a wing of the Hong Kong City Hospital that was owned by ARGUS. They brought all of their injured field agents in Asia there for recovery. The door at the end of the corridor connected to the much larger hospital. The exit at the staff lounge lead to the exterior. ARGUS agents used that entrance to come and go as they pleased._

_He dragged his eyes away from the painting and turned on the TV. He had been there two days and had learnt the TV schedule quite well. His Korean soap opera would be coming up now. He was halfway through the episode when he heard one of the machines go off. He ran down the corridor to the room with the woman that was missing her legs. He knew the beeping of the machine was a bad sign but he didn't know what to do to save her. He heard the door at the end of the corridor fly open, followed by a rush of footsteps towards the room. The doctor and nurse that he had seen do rounds earlier entered the room and immediately started trying to attend to the girl. A defibrillator was pulled out and Tommy watched frozen to the spot as they tried to save her. They worked for five minutes before the doctor declared her dead and the nurse officially recorded the time of death._

_Death was no stranger to Tommy Merlyn. Even after having killed 23 men it still affected him. Maybe it was because he lost his mother at such a young age that he understood how the death of a family member could affect you. The doctor and the nurse went about disconnecting the woman from the machines she was attached to while he stood there watching._

" _Mr. Merlyn," Mariko said._

_He turned around to find her at the entrance to the room watching him carefully, "Her death has unsettled you," she observed in a neutral tone._

" _Death in general unsettles me," he spat at her._

" _There was nothing you could do for her. She failed her mission and paid with her life," Mariko stated clinically._

" _Your life seems to be the price for all failed missions in this place," Tommy said remembering the people on the island that he killed. They had all been following orders for a mission._

" _Not necessarily so," Mariko commented._

" _Tell that to the 23 men I killed on the island," Tommy retorted._

" _One can't speak to dead men Mr. Merlyn but I could point out that Mr. Fryers found you on that island and for three months his mission was your mission. That mission failed but you are still alive."_

_Shamed washed immediately over Tommy. He had been duped by Fryers into thinking that Oliver had been captured by a Chinese criminal who had been living on the island. He had worked with that man to retrieve Oliver and in doing so set things in motion that ultimately caused the death of Yao Fei._

" _It's time for you to start your lessons," Mariko said. She was still watching him carefully and he got the impression that she was a mind reader._

" _Great where's my sword? Perhaps I can hold one of these doctors hostage and get out of this place," he said in an upbeat voice._

" _Today you will be learning about micro-expressions," she said turning to head back to the staff lounge._

" _Micro-expressions?" he asked confused following behind her to the sofa that he slept on. What the fuck was a micro-expression and why did he need to learn about it. Surely ARGUS must have seen his high school and college grades. Academics were so not his thing._

" _Yes I want you to learn about micro-expressions and how to recognise them," she said holding up a DVD and waving it. "This is your assignment for the week. You can look at this instead of those Korean soaps."_

" _Hey!" Tommy protested, "I like those soaps."_

_She ignored him and continued, "The first tutorials on this video teach you about micro-expressions and how to identify them. After you've watched the videos I'll provide you with a cheat sheet. You need to learn how to recognise these expressions in others. The face people are most accustomed to is their own. As you remember, I taped our first session together. I want you to identify each micro-expression on your face during our discussion. I think you will find that your expressions will directly correlate to what you were experiencing at the time."_

" _How is this supposed to prepare me for that crazy mission?" Tommy asked._

" _It will," she insisted. She left the DVD on the coffee table in front of the sofa and headed for the exit. She stopped just before she opened the door,"Since you have a mental list of all the people you've killed. Why don't you think about the people you've saved," she asked with an arched eyebrow. "I would suggest you start with the 300+ people that were on board that Ferris Air flight," she said before closing the door to the wing._

He was broken out of the memory when the door to Dr. Kreukis's office banged open against the wall with not only a loud noise but enough force to cause the painting he had been staring at to tilt on one side. He recognised a very angry Helena Bertinelli walking out. Dr. Kreukis's appalled voice floated out after her, "That is not the exit Helena!"

The woman in question scoffed, "Don't worry I don't care who sees me here. Let the world know that Frank Bertinelli's daughter is so weak she needs therapy. Besides," she said her eyes locking on to Tommy's, "It's just the Merlyn boy. He already saw me and I saw him so no big deal."

She was halfway through the reception room when one of the meathead bodyguards stopped her with a light grip on her arm. She pulled away abruptly, "Do not touch me!" she hissed.

He grabbed onto her wrist with a firm grip that she was not able to break and started pulling her back into the room. "Your farther has instructed that you have to stay in your sessions," he said.

"Yeah that was all good and dandy when I could just sit on that stupid couch and stare at the man's stupid diploma for an hour. I'm not agreeing to any hypnotherapy to toe the line," she yelled as she tried to dig her heels in and stand her ground.

"You do not have to do that. It was just a suggestion. We can sit and talk," Dr. Kreukis said from the doorway.

"Talk about what? What they did to the Glades? Or the way the Council runs Star City? Or Tempest," Helena retorted, the venom clear in her voice.

Tommy's interest immediately peeked. Helena was still trying to pry her hand from the meathead's grip but Tommy saw an opportunity to obtain information about Tempest.

"Let's all relax," Tommy said standing up and heading over to Helena and the meathead.

"This does not concern you," Dr. Kreukis said from the doorway.

Tommy looked over at the man and realised he was hiding something behind his back.

"I'm just telling her what you tell me," Tommy repeated innocently.

"I am the professional here," stated angrily.

It took all of Tommy's self-control not to snort at that.

"I have the situation handled," Dr. Kreukis insisted pulling his hand from behind his back to reveal a syringe filled with clear fluid.

Tommy eyed the syringe in the Doctor's hand. His eyes slid to Helena who didn't seem the slightest bit concerned about it. She had moved on from trying to pull her hand free to trying to knee the meathead in the groin and stamp her heels into the feet of the other bodyguards that had joined him to restrain her.

As if the Doctor was finally able to pick up on something Tommy was feeling, Dr. Kreukis said, "It's just a mild sedative Tommy. No need to worry about Ms. Bertinelli's safety. I assure you she's in good hands."

Tommy did not have a great history with sedatives. They always lead to him waking up in a dank, dark basements handcuffed to a chair. Oliver really needed to teach him how he got out of those situations.

"I think Ms. Bertinelli looks calm," Tommy said even though she was still clearly fighting off the bodyguards. "Why don't we go for a coffee?" he asked her.

Her eyes went wide in disbelief and she momentarily stopped her fighting, "Are you hitting on me?"

"Would you rather be here or at the small café down the street?" he asked noticing Dr. Kreukis advancing on them out of the corner of his eye.

"It's a date Mr. Merlyn," she said with a smile. She had a bodyguard on each side of her holding her steady.

Without moving his eyes from hers, his hand shot out and caught Dr. Kreukis's wrist, stopping him from injecting her with the sedative, if it was a sedative, just inches from her skin, "Please, call me Tommy. Mr. Merlyn is so formal."

She grinned at him, "Helena."

His eyes finally slide to Dr. Kreukis, "I appreciate my dates alert. It makes for better entertainment so there is no longer a need for any of that," Tommy said nodding towards the syringe. "Helena seems quite calm to me. In fact, it should be time for my session," Tommy remarked looking at the clock on the wall right as the minute hand hit 10, "But I don't think I'll be staying," he said holding out his hand for Helena to join him.

She attempted to join him but the bodyguards were holding her back. Tommy faced the men, "Her session is officially over and you are no longer required to make her sit in it. I would like my date now. Of course, you're welcome to sit at the back of the café and watch us," Tommy said.

The men reluctantly let her go. When they were almost through the front door, Tommy paused and looked over his shoulder at the Dr. "I'm cancelling the rest of my sessions with you but I'm willing to keep paying you if you don't tell my father I'm not coming."

When they were outside the office Helena looked at him seriously, "That isn't going to work. I tried bribing him already."

"Honestly, I have a gorgeous woman on my arm, I don't' give a fuck if he tattles to my father," Tommy said before a scowled settled onto his handsome features. "Sorry, I'm not supposed to use bad language before a date even starts."

Helena laughed, and he found that he strangely liked the sound.

"When can you use bad language?" she asked teasingly.

He leaned forward getting a whiff of her flowery perfume, a scent he was not familiar with. There was a time when he knew all the scents on the market. "Usually it's for a more intimate setting," he whispered in her ear.

"Then I hope our coffee date goes well because I would really like to hear you use it in a more intimate setting," she whispered back.

**S-3**

The next day found both men in the court house with an angry Malcolm who was still upset that Tommy cancelled his sessions. Oliver didn't like the anger that Malcolm was directing towards his son but Tommy seemed to have some sort of immunity shield to his father's anger because it didn't affect him one iota. During his time 'sleeping' on the couch, Oliver devised a plan to get rid of their Dr. Kreukis problem.

"Today we come back from the dead," Tommy said jovially.

They were standing outside the door to the courtroom waiting to go in.

"Yes," Oliver said looking past Tommy to the tall brunette behind him. She looked beautiful in her light grey suit with a white blouse. If he hadn't been such a jackass when he was younger he could have been married to her now. His mother was right to approve of Laurel for him. She had grace, dignity, intelligence everything a Queen man needed in his wife. She was talking with a man he knew was her husband, Adam Donner, District Attorney of Star City. He caught her eye when she finished her conversation and she had no choice but to come over and say hello.

"The lovely Laurel Lance," Tommy said charmingly to her when she made her presence known.

Laurel shifted uncomfortably, "It's Laurel Donner now," she said hesitantly.

Oliver gave her a comforting smile. "Of course, it is."

"You know what," Tommy said "We are having a back from the dead party inthe convention hall across from the police station on a date yet to be determined; come to it," Tommy insisted. "Bring the husband, I'm sure we'll get along great."

A clerk appeared at the door and called their case.

"I guess you're up. Good luck. Not that you need it since you are the living proof," Laurel said with a wry smile.

"It was lovely seeing you again Laurel," Oliver said. He knew he had to let her go but she still had this hold on him. He watched her walk away from them before turning to Tommy, "Back from the dead party? I hope this is not some scheme you're cooking up to get me back together with Laurel. That ship has sailed."

Tommy pursed his lips, "I suppose that ship sailed five years ago. The party isn't about you and Laurel. It's a cover to break into the police station."

"What?" Oliver spluttered. He knew he was missing something. How did Tommy go from shaking the apple tree to breaking into the police station?

"Helena had an outburst at Dr. Kreukis office yesterday. She mentioned a few things like Tempest as well as something about the Glades. I want a sneak peek at the reports," Tommy revealed quietly to him.

"Helena?" Oliver asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Helena," Tommy repeated with a challenging look.

The communicated in silence until Oliver decided to back down with a sigh. "So who's telling Malcolm?" Tommy gave him a brilliant smile and Oliver groaned. The things he had to do for Tommy Merlyn.

**S-4**

After they were officially declared alive again, Oliver regained access to his trust fund and his credit cards. Tommy's trust fund was completely gone but Malcolm did provide him with a chequing account for expenses and a job at MQI headquarters. Malcolm had been pleased with the budget that Tommy presented to him and assigned him to work with the finance department. Tommy's first day was today which left Oliver to meet with the architect selected to design the community centre.

The plans were being unveiled at a site meeting instead of MQI offices. Oliver had started the renovations by removing all of the innards of the factory making it only a bare shell now. It gave the architects a better idea of what they were working with and if the structure was going to need any reinforcement for their new designs. The lead architect gave the presentation, walking through the structure to indicate where they envisioned everything going. By the time they finished, Oliver had a huge frown on his face.

He hadn't liked any of the ideas that were presented to him. Firstly,they wanted to fill in the basement and he wanted the basement retrofitted so he and Tommy could use that as their base of operations. Secondly, they had divided up the floor into rooms and offices giving it a very closed in feel. Oliver wanted something more open and more welcoming. This was not how he envisioned a community centre for the Glades. He grabbed a marker from one of the men's pocket protects and started crossing outeverything on the plans that he didn't like.

"But Mr. Merlyn approved the concept designs already," the lead architect protested.

"Tommy did no such thing," Oliver replied while he drew a bit fat line through the large office they had assigned to the manager of the community centre. Oliver thought that was a complete waste of space. The manager should be out on the floor and actively involved with the community activities. The person didn't need such a large space.

"Malcolm Merlyn did," the architect clarified.

"Malcolm is not the one running this project. I am and I want the plans changed," Oliver said looking at the group of men standing before him. They looked very hesitant to do anything. If Oliver had learnt one thing during his time away it was not to work with people you didn't trust. These men were going to listen to only Malcolm Merlyn and he didn't want that.

"You're fired. I'll find another firm that will give me a design closer to what I want," Oliver said dropping the marker and walking away from them.

"Mr. Queen," the lead architect called out in a panic.

He ignored them and walked out of the building. He would find another firm. If memory served correctly there were four other firms that quoted. Surely he should be able to find one that didn't report to Malcolm. He started his car, and following all of the speed limits and traffic restrictions he headed to QC. This gave him an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. He would get the proposals from the other firms and he will start courting their IT asset.

**S-5**

Oliver decided to tackle the first person on his list, William Tockman. The IT department looked no different to the technical section in ARGUS. He knew this mission would have been so much easier if Waller just assigned them someone but she loved to make things difficult for him. She still couldn't quite get over the fact that Oliver had survived everything she had thrown at him and she owed him. He had yet to cash in that debt and was saving it for when he would really need a favour from her.

He wrapped lightly on the door that said Mr. Tockman was the IT manager while the secretary outside stared at him as if he was a piece of meat. A voice told him to come in and he opened the door. The office was far darker than he expected and it set his senses on high alert. The only form of light was what was emitted from the three monitors in front of Mr. Tockman. It was really only bright enough to reveal the wall behind the manager. The corners of the office and the area around Oliver were pretty dark. There could be an assassin hiding there and the average person would never know.

Oliver cleared his throat to try to get rid of the unease he felt, "Mr. Tockman, I assume."

"Mr. Queen, you are three minutes late. I wasn't sure you would be able to find your way down here. I was more than willing to meet you in your office upstairs."

"I wasn't aware it was ready," Oliver lied smoothly. He had just come from a meeting with Walter upstairs. The files he requested on the architects were being pulled and put on his desk.

"My staff installed your computer yesterday," Mr. Tockman informed him.

**CUCKOO! CUCKOO! CUCKOO!**

Oliver jumped, startled by the high pitch cry of a cuckoo clock to his right. He was thankful he didn't have any weapons on him because his hands instinctively reached for something to defend himself with. He was also grateful Tommy wasn't there. He never would have heard the end of a cuckoo clock scaring the living daylights out of him.

"I'm sorry if it startled you Mr. Queen. That particular cuckoo clock is set to ring at quarter past the hour. The others are different," Tockman said.

"Others?" Oliver asked.

Mr. Tockman touched a knob on his keyboard and the lights in the office brightened. He wondered who gave the man permission to put dimmers in his office. With the lights on, Oliver could now clearly see the room. There were no assassins lurking in the corner but he already knew that. What he did see though were a ridiculous amount of clocks on each wall except the wall behind Mr. Tockman where he wouldn't be able to see the time. The IT manager himself looked every bit the age his file said he was but warning bells were going off in Oliver's head. The collection of clocks was a sign of some sort of obsessive behaviour.

"Was there something you wished to discuss?" Tockman asked pushing his wire frame glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Yes," Oliver said. His instincts were all screaming at him that Tockman was wrong for the job. It was time to fall back on his secondary story, "My mother gave me this phone and I have no idea how it works. I was hoping I could get a little tutorial."

The man looked very annoyed with him, he studied him over the rim of his glasses, "I can assign one of the interns to teach you. I can send them up to your office at," he stopped to look at the many clocks on the wall, "10:36am."

"I guess I'll be in my new office then," Oliver said with that patented Ollie Queen smile. He got up to leave and a different clock started to cuckoo. It was the traditional type of cuckoo clock that had the bird coming out of the clock to make the cuckoo noise.

"That one's set for twenty past the hour," Tockman said proudly.

Oliver nodded. He scratched him off his list. He was way too _cuckoo_ for the mission. That man clearly needed to see Dr. Kreukis more than he did. His next stop was Scheffer.

**S-6**

To enter Mark Scheffer's lab he was dressed in a heavy Kevlar vest and a metal helmet to protect his head. Scheffer's assistant warned Oliver to lookout for flying debris. The light to the lab was green indicating it was supposed to be safe to enter but his assistant indicated that Scheffer often forgot to turn on the warning light on when he was about to detonate something. Apparently he got so excited he forgot about safety.

Oliver before reaching for the door he nodded to the assistant and reassured the nervous man that he would be fine. Oliver was confident that he could handle himself. The door was very heavy to push open, probably because of the two layers of bullet proof glass and armoured metal covering it. This entire floor was dedicated to the lab. It was mainly a large open space with some closed offices in the back. He didn't see Scheffer around so he assumed he was in the back which was confirmed when he heard a noise inside one of the office. He started walking in that direction until there was a sudden explosion to his left and a piece of shrapnel flew a few inches in front of his face. The force of the explosion wasn't strong but his ears were ringing a bit. The door opened and a man came running out with a smile on his face until he noticed Oliver.

"Oh," he said. "I didn't realise anyone was here."

"I thought you were supposed to put on a safety light if you were experimenting," Oliver yelled angrily at the man.

"I wasn't expecting anyone," Scheffer said in his defence.

"Safety is safety. All those protocols are to be followed for a reason," Oliver pointed to the large piece of shrapnel that was lying on the floor to his right, "That piece nearly took of my head. How were you going to explain to Malcolm Merlyn that you killed his step son!" Oliver raged.

"Again, you weren't supposed to be here. The lab was clear. Why are you here?" the man asked.

"I joined the company today so I decided to walk around and get a feel for what the Applied Sciences Division did. I've seen enough," Oliver said turning around and walking out.

He scratched Scheffer off his list. The man was an undisciplined idiot and he didn't want any loose cannons on his team. He was also determined to speak to Walter about the safety of the experiments that were being run in the building. He caught site of a crate of C4 outside the active room that if placed in precisely the right places, could bring this entire building down.

With Scheffer off the list, that meant he was down to Waller's choice. He was thinking of expanding his search for an IT asset outside of the company in case the third option fell through.

**S-7**

He was back in the IT department again this time headed to a much smaller office. He opened the door without knocking hoping the surprise would give him some insight into Ms. Smoak but he was not prepared for the sight in front of him. She was completely unaware of his presence, focused completely on the computer screen in front of her with a red pen between her lips. She seemed so innocent, so contrary to what he was that it threw him momentarily off guard. After a few seconds of staring, he pushed aside his fascination with the red pen and cleared his throat both to get her attention and to refocus on his purpose there.

"Hi Felicity Smoak, I'm Oliver Queen," he said placing that playboy smile on his face.

She jumped, the red pen falling out of her lips onto the desk, her eyes wide with shock behind her square rim glasses, "Mr. Queen!"

"Please call me Oliver," he said with a smile. He had a strangely positive feeling about her. She didn't seem like a bad person, in fact she definitely wasn't what he was expecting. Her hair had changed, the nose ring was gone and she was wearing bright colours. Her head tilted to the right slightly as she studied him. He wondered what she was thinking.

"What do you need Mr. Queen, I mean Oliver. It's weird to call you Oliver. I mean you're the head honcho's stepson. I shouldn't be on a first name basis with you. That should be reserved for your friends or your girlfriend neither option describes me. Not that I'm not willing to become your friend or your girlfriend, I mean just look at you," she said waiving her hand from his head down to his toe, "You're the definition of sex on a stick. I would totally do you," her eyes suddenly widened again as it appeared she had finally caught on to what she was saying, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to hit on you and I should probably stop talking now," she said shutting her mouth and making a zipping motion with her hand.

Oliver laughed, genuinely laughed. He felt a soft lightness inside of him that he didn't know he still possessed. He was actually out of breath when he finally got control of himself. Ms. Smoak was still seated behind her desk mortified.

"I'm sorry. The last time I laughed like that was before the island. I don't know what came over me," Oliver admitted with a slight blush. He didn't want to seem like he was being mean to her.

Ms. Smoak nodded her head up and down as she stared at him but he could see the corners of her lips were beginning to turn upwards. He couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face if he tried. He pulled the small thumb drive he had in his pocket out.

"These are the old building plans for the steel factory QC used to own in the Glades. I want to convert it to a community centre and I want to put the most advance technology that we have available to us in it," Oliver said. "The architects are still working on new plans."

Her whole face lit up, "That sounds like a wonderful idea. We can run the entire building off of green energy, we could put in a waste water recycling system and grow plants on the roof but that might interfere with the solar panels," she said pursing her lips before another thought hit her, "That is if we receive enough sunlight to power the batteries. We have enough rain, we could harvest rain water and teach the people of the Glades how to do it. We could run technology classes as well as the standard dance, sewing, art and craft classes that community centres have."

"Woah, hold up. You're going too fast for me. Why don't you look over the plans and submit your ideas to me. I'm going to turn the basement into a little private office for Tommy and myself, so I need you to advise me on the most advance computer setup available," Oliver said.

Felicity arched her eyebrow, "I don't think you need an advanced computer setup for a private office."

"Just humour me," he asked his eyes twinkling as he looked at her.

"Ok boss, whatever you say," she responded.

"Great, I'll see you in a week," Oliver said walking away.

If he had a small smile on his face all the way until dinner, he would never admit that a little blonde with an uncontrollable mouth caused it.

**S-8**

Felicity stared at the space that had been occupied by Oliver Queen. What just happened? Did Walter send him? Was this project a discrete way to report to Water? Why did he approach her and not her boss or more senior co-workers? She joined QC the week before the official merger. When the news hit, everyone in her department was afraid. With big company mergers duplicate departments such as IT, HR, Admin, Accounts and Marketing get staff cuts. Last one in is the first one out and that was Felicity. Instead of looking for a new job immediately, she decided to stay as long as they would keep her. The work experience, however little, would look good on her resume.

One month after the official announcement, persons started packing up their desks. They started with Admin, then accounts, that entire department was sent home in favour of keeping the one at Merlyn Global. Marketing was next followed by HR. She met the HR officer that welcomed her warmly to QC and conducted her orientation in the elevator with a box of her stuff under her arm. It was awkward. What do you say in such a situation?

Much to her department's surprise, they were all needed for the new Applied Sciences Department. They had to convert three quarters of the QC building into labs, get trained on the software for all of the fancy equipment that was purchased for the lab. It required the entire department plus new hires. Apparently the rise of Ray Palmer had encouraged Malcolm Merlyn to invest more heavily in the Tech sector. Felicity had to admit she preferred this new Applied Sciences to the old QC. This was more challenging and she enjoyed solving software and hardware problems way more than removing viruses off computers.

She had quickly become the go to IT person for technical solutions. She supposed that was part of the reason Walter approached her. He had found an inconsistency on a report and when he raised the issue with the manager of that department, it was explained away as an error. The report was revised and everything looked good. That was until Walter noticed that several persons who were involved in the production of the report, either suddenly quit, relocated to an oversees branch, or had an unfortunate accident. He asked his head of security to investigate and the man was found dead two weeks later in the Old Glades. The police claimed it was a deal for illegal performance enhancers gone bad.

Walter realised that he needed to be more discrete in his investigations and he approached her. He warned her it was dangerous but the mystery pulled her in. She discovered that money was being funnelled out of the company to offshore accounts. The name Tempest kept coming up but she couldn't identify what Tempest was.

Walter thought he was being followed and asked Felicity to back off her search for a little while. Was he reconsidering that order? She would have to find a way to visit him and seek some clarification.

**S-9**

Tommy pulled up to the gates of the Bertinelli Estate. A high black gate blocked his entrance with even higher concrete walls on each side. No less than four high tech cameras stared at him. He wound down his window and pressed the button on the intercom next to the car. After a few seconds it crackled to life, "State your business," a gruff voice stated.

"Tommy Merlyn here to pick up Helena," he said in a calm tone.

There was no response but he assumed the opening of the black gates meant he had approval to enter. He drove up the winding entrance to the front of the house where Helena was waiting in a sultry black dress that Tommy very much liked.

She jumped into the car as soon as he stopped in next to her, "Drive," she ordered.

"What no greeting or kiss on the cheek?" he asked cheekily.

"If you want to have a private date without bodyguards we need to leave now," she replied turning her head to look back inside the house.

"Oh, I like thesound of that," he said flooring the accelerator. He sped down the driveway towards the closed gate, "Helena?" he said a bit uneasy. The BMW was strong but those gates looked reinforced to take a hit.

She lifted her hand and pointed the remote she had lifted from one of the town cars and opened the gate. Tommy might have let out a small breath of relief as he manoeuvred the car through the still opening gate without scraping the sides. He wasn't sure how Malcolm would react to him denting the car.

"So now that I've sprung you from prison where to?" Tommy joked slowing the car down when he entered an area that was monitored by cameras.

"Anywhere," she answered.

Tommy continued driving until they arrived in front of Table Salt.

"Typical," Helena stated.

"You don't like Table Salt? Has the standard dropped in the last 5 years?" Tommy asked genuinely confused.

"It's a standard billionaire date. Pick up a pretty girl, in a pretty car and take her to a pretty nice restaurant," Helena said blandly. "I thought you were different."

"You more than just a pretty girl, Table Salt is supposed to be better than a pretty nice restaurant and damn it I am different!" Tommy insisted in a jovial tone.

"It is a nice restaurant but we eat here at least once a week. Let's go somewhere else please," she asked staring out at the building on the opposite side of the street.

"Like what Chinese?" Tommy queried.

Helena started laughing, "You are so naive. You're like a cute puppy."

Tommy frowned. He most certainly was not naive and he most definitely was not a puppy. Just because her father headed the Italian unit didn't mean they couldn't eat Chinese. Plus he wasn't supposed to know what business her family was really in.

"We can get Thai if you don't like Chinese," Tommy suggested.

"There is a place not far from here that has great takeout. We can order and go somewhere my father won't find us," she told him finally turning to face him.

"I know just the place," Tommy said with a smirk. He had found a nice small Thai restaurant right on the edge of the entertainment district during his reconnaissance of the Irish gang. He would collect the food there and then prove to her he was different.

Half an hour later they were stepping out of an elevator with Thai takeout on the top floor of an apartment building. Tommy pulled a key from his pocket and opened the door that was closest to the elevator. He flipped on the lights and dropped the food on the empty island, "Like it," he asked as he turned to Helena.

She surveyed the apartment before responding, "It's completely empty," she noted.

"For now, I just leased it today. You want to help me decorate?" he asked hopefully.

Helena looked him dead in the eyes, "That's not really my style."

"Oh," he responded. He was hoping to build some sort of trust with her. It wouldn't be long before Oliver started pushing him to interrogate her about Tempest.

"Little puppy," she said her warm brown eyes boring into his, "How are we supposed to eat with no furniture?"

"Oh," Tommy said again, "I guess I kinda of screwed up this date."

"Look we can go back to the car, drive down to the park and eat," Helena said clearly feeling sorry for him.

"Yeah that sounds like a better plan," Tommy said a bit dejected.

Helena's phone started to ring and she pulled it out of her little clutch to look at the screen. He noticed a picture of her father displayed on the phone as the caller. She ignored it. "Let's go."

Tommy grabbed the bags from the counter, locked the door to his new loft and met her by the elevators. There was an awkward silence and Tommy searched for something to discuss with her. They had already spent their coffee date bashing Dr. Kreukis and he really didn't want to rehash old stuff with her. In the reflection of the elevator doors he noticed her necklace again.

"That's a beautiful necklace," he said.

She smiled wistfully at him as her hand came up to play with the small gold cross. The door pinged open and they both stepped into the empty elevator.

"My fiancé gave it to me," she said.

Even thought he knew the man was dead Tommy pretended he didn't and he put a surprised look on his face as well as stepping away from her. "I didn't mean to interfere in your relationship."

Helena laughed bitterly, "He's dead."

"Oh," Tommy said for the hundredth time that night. He realised he must look like a complete idiot. No wonder she thought he was any different to any other man. This dating thing was a lot harder than he remembered.

"My father had him killed. That's why he's forcing me to go to Dr. Kreukis. He hopes I can let go of the anger that I feel towards him but that's never going to happen," Helena admitted.

Tommy didn't have to fake a surprised face because he was genuinely surprised that she had confided in him on the second date. The only answer he could come up with was "Uh..."

"What?" Helena questioned innocently, "Not a good topic of conversation for a second date? I guess I just fucked up the date as well. Now it's both our responsibilities it failed."

The elevator stopped on the ground floor and they both stepped out.

"I guess," Tommy said a bit hesitantly. She had completely thrown him. He thought he had a pretty good read on her but she just kept surprising him.

Her phone started ringing again.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" he asked curiously.

"It's just my father asking why I ditched my security detail," Helena said not even sparing a glance at the phone this time.

"I don't want to get you in trouble. I can take you back home and you can keep the food," he said as they reached his car.

"What will you eat?" Helena asked curiously.

"I have a little confession to make," Tommy said with a small smile on his face. She had shared something personal so he would share something personal with her. "I ate dinner already. Malcolm has this thing about being home at 7:00pm for all the family to eat dinner together. It's a compulsory family activity. That's why I picked you up at 8:30pm."

"You were going to eat twice?" Helena asked as she got into the car with him.

"Yeah but I can guarantee dinner with you is 1000% better than dinner with him," Tommy said. From Helena's expression he realised that he had let his bitterness towards his own father taint his tone.

"So you will have to leave your apartment every day to go home for 7:00pm for dinner?" she asked carefully while he started the car.

"I haven't exactly told him I'm moving out yet," Tommy admitted.

"You haven't?" Helena said turning to look at him with an expression that asked, are you serious?

He just nodded his head and as he watched the road. From his place, it wasn't that far to the Bertinielli Estate.

"Hmmm, I guess I'm not the only one with daddy issues," she quipped.

When they arrived at the big black gates Helena opened them. They found her father waiting at the front door with an angry expression on his face.

"Will you be ok?" Tommy asked concerned. He felt a little bit uncomfortable leaving her alone.

"Believe it or not I do this regularly. He's probably going to insist I have a session tomorrow," Helena revealed.

Tommy gave her an evil smile, "Don't worry; you're not the only one that hates going there. I'm fairly sure Oliver is cooking up a plan to get rid of the annoying doctor."

When she arched her eyebrow at him, he clarified, "Not like that, just get him discredited and kicked out of Starling City."

She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek, "Maybe next time we can get to the part with the cursing." She winked at him before getting out of the car and sauntering past her father. Tommy acknowledged her father with a nod of his head before putting the car in drive and getting the hell out of there.

**S-10**

Oliver took Tommy and Thea to lunch at Table Salt on Saturday when Thea had no school to attend. He really wanted to attempt to reconnect with her without the interference of their parents. They were escorted to the private table in the back that was reserved for the Merlyn-Queen family. Apparently, his mother ate there a lot.

"What would you like to drink?" the hostess asked when they were seated.

"Whiskey," both Tommy and Oliver said at the same time. Oliver didn't like to drink vodka when he was in public settings.

"A nice tall glass of orange juice," Thea sulked.

"Thea you're only 17," Oliver said his voiced laced with disapproval.

"I know Ollie," she bit out. "You don't need to keep reminding me of that."

"Then you also know the law," Tommy added supporting Oliver.

Thea snorted, "The only law that's relevant here is Malcolm's."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Oliver asked with a frown.

"You'll see," Thea said with a wicked grin.

The waitress returned with their drinks and a menu with no prices on it.

"So how are your friends Thea?" Oliver asked as her perused the menu.

"Oh god, please tell me you don't want to sleep with them! They're underage Ollie," Thea exclaimed.

"I thought we had this discussion already. I'm not interested in your friends," Oliver stated.

"Good," Thea said closing her menu and placing it on the table.

"You know what you want?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah the same thing I get every time I come here, the gourmet burger," Thea said.

Tommy and Oliver turned their nose up in disgust, "You're better off with the steak."

"It's the closest I'm going to get to a real burger," Thea admitted.

Oliver and Tommy locked eyes, "You want some Big Belly Burger instead?"

"Those are unhealthy, I'm not allowed to eat it," Thea responded.

"You obviously did not hear the question properly Thea. I asked you if you wanted to eat Big Belly Burger," Tommy repeated.

"I wouldn't mind," Thea said with a shrug.

"Cheque please!" Oliver said calling the nearest waitress.

It took them ten minutes to get out of the restaurant because the manager wanted to know what was wrong. He offered them all sorts of enticements to stay and eat but the boys were focused on taking their sister to Big Belly Burger.

Twenty minutes later, Thea was biting into her first belly buster.

"Damn this is delicious!" she declared with her mouth full.

"Careful, if mom were here she would admonish you about your manners," Oliver said.

Thea glared at him but continued concentrating on her burger. Both boys laughed and started chowing down on theirs as well. After some time Thea lifted her head and looked at Ollie, "What does the tattoo on your chest mean?"

"Nothing just something I got after I got too drunk one night," Oliver lied smoothly.

Thea narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything.

"Are you interested in getting one?" Tommy asked.

"No, Malcolm would probably kill me," Thea replied. "Speaking of Malcolm, we need to get back soon. We usually have a father-daughter bonding session in the afternoon. I don't want to be late."

Both boys nodded. Oliver paid the bill and they were soon on the way.

**S-11**

Oliver had bided his time to inform Malcolm about the party they were organising, partly because he wanted to torture Tommy and partly because he really didn't want to talk to his step father. He decided he would approach him during Sunday lunch.

"MalcoIm, I want to celebrate our return from the dead with a party at the convention centre downtown," Oliver said in between bites of his steak.

Malcolm calmly placed his cutlery on the plate and gave him his full attention. He could see Thea was curious to see where this was going.

"It will be a great way to reintegrate into society. So far we haven't been very social and maybe the papparzzi will be less curious if we are around more," Oliver reasoned.

"Maybe," Malcolm conceded.

"They can take all the pictures they want at the party," Oliver said hoping that this angle would convince him since he had overheard his stepfather bitterly complaining about the paparazzi out front.

"And these pictures," Malcolm said, "Will be of mature grown men carrying themselves with respect, I hope."

"Absolutely," Tommy promised.

"I will consider it then," Malcolm said reasonably.

"Great I already booked the centre, applied for that noise variation thing and issued invites," Tommy supplied happily.

"Can I go?" Thea asked hopefully.

"No!" everyone around the table answered

"So they get to party and I don't?" Thea voiced her protest loudly.

"You are still in school Thea," Oliver reminded her.

"That never stopped you!" she pointed out.

"And look where I ended up Thea. I have nothing. I am trying to pick up the pieces of my life and build a new one. It's not easy, I have the scars to provide it so forgive me if I don't want my baby sister to make the same terrible mistakes I made," Oliver snapped at her.

Thea crossed her hand over her chest and looked away sullenly while Malcolm and Moira looked on with approval until Moira's phone started ringing.

"Who is that Moira?" Malcolm asked with a frown.

Moira checked her phone quickly knowing how much Malcolm disapproved of interruptions during family time.

"The number is blocked," she said placing her phone on the table where Malcolm could see it.

"Answer it on speaker phone," he instructed.

Moira did as she was told, "Hello," she greeted the person on the other end.

"Good day Mrs. Merlyn, I'm trying to get in touch with someone that can point me in the direction of my missing goods," a female voice said on the other end. "This is very bad for business."

Malcolm motioned for the phone and Moira handed it to him. He exited the room to take the call in private but Oliver had already recognised the voice. It was Chien Na Wei, leader of the Triad on the West Coast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	6. Tempest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Arrow. This chapter was super large and I had to split it in two. As a result the party got pushed into the next chapter. Even with the split, this chapter is the longest chapter I have ever written.

It was career day at school or as Thea called it the day they tried to shove suitable careers down their throats. The one good thing about it was that classes for the graduating seniors were suspended so that they could interact with professionals in the various fields that they were interested in pursuing. Each hour had a different presentation by a different professional. If you weren't attending the career talk then you were expected to be in the gym where there were recruitment booths from all the Ivy League schools as well as a few other top universities in the country set up for students to apply for entrance.

Dr. Carter Bowen was there to represent the medical fields, her father the corporate world, her mother the political, Laurel Donner the legal profession, Dr. Ray Palmer engineering, and Dr. Keron Kreukis psychology. Thea decided to sit in on Laurel's talk. The older woman was very pleased to see her as they hadn't seen each other since Laurel's wedding. A small part of Thea felt guilty because she wasn't there to hear about law. No, law bored her to death. There was just too much reading and constant paperwork. Listening to Laurel talk only reaffirmed her decision not to study law.

In anticipation of her entering her senior year of high school, Malcolm had started discussing college options with her during the summer. He had sourced brochures from all of the Ivy League schools for her to read and decide what she wanted to do and where. She saw a few programmes that she thought were interesting and she applied. Unlike Oliver, who they had to pay to get in, Thea had all the requisite qualifications. She was already accepted to two of the schools. Those schools were on the east coast and she had been elated at the thought of moving far away but now that her brothers had returned, she was having second thoughts. There was something going on and she really wanted to know what it was.

She pulled out her phone to pass the time while Laurel droned on about working with clients and confidentiality. At the top of the trending threads was the 'Back from the Dead Party', that her brothers were throwing. Thea was still very sore about that. All of her friends were going but she was stuck home. She needed to find a way to go to the party. She would be the bore of the school if she didn't attend. Begging her brothers to go was not going to work. She needed to find a way to convince Malcolm to let her go. In the past, when she really wanted things, she would fight him verbally for it. Perhaps she could challenge him to a physical duel, for every hit she got on him, she got ten minutes at the party.

The sudden movement of her fellow students around her alerted her to the fact that Laurel had finally stopped talking. A few of the eager ones stayed back to ask more questions and Thea remained seated waiting for them to finish. What she needed to discuss with Laurel had to be done in private. The Vice-Principal had returned and was waiting off to the side to thank Laurel and escort her out. When the last student left, the Vice-Principal asked her if she was waiting to see Mrs. Donner.

"Yes, she's an old family friend and I haven't seen her since her wedding. I was hoping we could have a few moments in private to catch up," Thea said with a charming smile.

"Today is about your future, not catching up with old friends," the Vice-Principal reprimanded.

Laurel turned to the woman with a smile, "I'm sure it won't disrupt her day too much if she walks me out to my car," she said with a pleasant smile.

"Dr. Bowen's presentation will be starting in a few minutes in the second auditorium," the Vice-Principal pointed out.

"Perfect, I have no interest in medicine. I'll escort Laurel out and then I'll head straight to the gym to fill out my college applications," Thea promised.

The Vice-Principal eyed her critically before deciding that Thea could have her way. She left them alone in the auditorium.

"Hi Thea," Laurel said with a smile and warm hug, "You know you could have just told her that you have already applied to a few colleges."

Thea arched her eyebrow at Laurel, "And how do you know that?"

Laurel gave her a knowing smirk, "Your father may have boasted to me about how well you were doing in school and how you already had a clear path in life."

Thea snorted. She most definitely didn't have a clear path in life, just a vague idea about what she wanted to do.

"You're his good little girl," Laurel added and Thea smiled because that gave her the perfect opening for what she wanted to talk about.

"Oh he said that," Thea said in a very innocent tone, "Because I'm thinking about getting a tattoo."

"A tattoo!" Laurel replied shocked.

"Yeah a tattoo, you know those drawings that they put on your skin in permanent ink. It's not that bad, didn't you and Ollie get one?" she asked curiously tilting her head to the side and using the look that she used to use on Laurel when she was a child asking innocent questions.

Laurel's brow scrunched together in confusion, "No your brother and I never got tattoos. I still don't have one. Where is this coming from Thea? Did he and Tommy go for one since they got back?"

"Oh my mistake, I thought you guys had. A few of my friends were thinking of getting tattoos and I thought since you guys had, then it would be ok for me to get one but if you don't then I think I'll have to pass on that activity," Thea said adding a frustrated sigh to go along with it.

Laurel placed a comforting hand on Thea's shoulders, "Look I know you've had it hard and it may seem like Malcolm is being unnecessarily strict but take it from me, he's only doing it with your best interest at heart. He let Tommy do whatever he wanted and look where it landed him. You're going to be 18 in January with your whole future ahead of you and he'll be 28 in February with no prospects."

"I guess so," Thea replied hesitantly.

"Trust me Thea, it'll all work out in the end," Laurel said picking up her stuff.

They both walked to the door and out into the empty corridor. Thea caught site of the Vice-Principal standing at the end of the corridor pretending to be reading the notice board. It was really annoying the way adults didn't trust her. She decided to change the conversation and asked Laurel about her married life as they walked out to her car. Laurel gushed about how happy she was. It was a dream come true, the perfect job, the perfect husband, the perfect house, all that remained was to have the perfect baby and she was hoping that the baby part would come soon.

They reached Laurel's Mercedes very quickly. Laurel promised to keep in touch and soon she was watching Laurel drive away. A wicked smirk settled on her features. Her brothers were definitely hiding something. Deserted islands did not have tattoo parlours. Now that she had confirmed that the tattoo was not pre-island, how did she go about getting her brothers to fess up to what really happened while they were away.

**S-2**

Malcolm stared out at the skyline of Star City. The view from the top of the MQI tower in Novus District really was beautiful. To think this real estate had been wasted on a medical clinic for animals that didn't know any better annoyed him. He should have closed the clinic as soon as Rebecca had been killed but instead he had left it open. From his position he could see over the wall that separated the two districts. Novus district was brightly lit and a few young kids were riding bicycles in the streets unharmed. It was in stark contrast to the Old Glades which was poorly lit with a few shadowy figures moving between the buildings. If things went according to plan, that would all change soon.

"Everyone is here," Moira said drawing his attention back to what was happening in the room.

He turned around to face the long table behind him. Everyone was in fact in place including the reason for this meeting, Mr. Summers. The man sat opposite him at the other end of the table. Because of him everything they worked so hard for had been put in jeopardy. He had half a mind to let the Triad deal with him but instead he was going to make an example out of him.

"Mr. Summers," he started bringing the meeting to order, "Do you have an explanation for the mess that occurred at the port?"

"I do," the man said standing and picking up the stack of files in front of him and handing a file to each member present. Malcolm looked at the file with disdain while other members picked it up curiously and started flipping through the contents.

"What is this Mr. Summers?" he spat at the man. Malcolm was a man of action, not a man of excuses and the file folder in front of him looked like a very big excuse.

"The evidence that shows that one man broke in and switched the manifests on the dock," Mr. Summers responded. "It was not a mistake but a deliberate act of sabotage by an enemy."

"These pictures are from three weeks ago and we can't see his or her face," Moira said from her position on Malcolm's left. She was carefully going through the excuse being presented. Malcolm had yet to even open the file. He was 100% sure that the contents would not change his preferred course of action.

"There is a sword on his back," their security expert, Constantine Drakon said from his position on Malcolm's right. Mr. Drakon was a very skilled mercenary and his contacts had served them well over the last few years.

"This is the person that is responsible," Mr. Summers said confidently.

"Is he?" Malcolm questioned steepling his fingers in front of him. "Because the last time I checked, you were tasked with the responsibility for ensuring that the activities on the Port ran smoothly."

There were a chorus of nods from around the table. Each member had a specific field of expertise and specific role to play. Failure was not accepted.

"That security system of yours is supposed to stop law breakers," Summers pointed out.

"It is," Malcolm agreed, "But that system you referenced covers the streets of the city. This figure," Malcolm said pointing to his closed folder, "That you have presented to us broke the law on your compound 3 weeks ago and you didn't even know. You are responsible for the security system on the docks."

"Your cameras should have picked him up way before he got to the docks," Summers countered. "I'm sure it's another ARGUS agent. Your contact should have informed us. Amanda Waller needs to be dealt with."

"Such strong words from a man who can't keep his own house in order," Constantine noted with an arch of his eyebrow.

"I'm sure everyone agrees with me," Summers argued.

"While I agree that ARGUS is a problem," Frank Chen admitted, "I don't think assassinating the head of a government agency is something we should be party too especially considering our representatives from law enforcement," Chen said pointing across the table from him.

"I agree," Moira said. "We cannot openly engage ARGUS like that. We need to stay under the radar. ARGUS is only interested in the trans-shipment point for the gangs. That is why they targeted the Port. We should not do anything that could lead them to discover what is truly going on in this city. We are very close to attaining all of our goals."

Another prominent businessman in the city, Carl Ballard, spoke up, "I think the immediate issue that we need to address is the security at the Port, as well as the returning of the merchandise to each gang."

Constantine snorted, "That will be near impossible. One, we aren't entirely sure where all of the merchandise went to. We know the Russian girls went to the Irish and they are refusing to return them unless we find their merchandise, which we think was shipped to the FBI headquarters in Quantico since two agents turned up at the Port asking questions. The Bratva is demanding immediate payment, along with The Triad. This mishap is also affecting the deal with the Korean Tong, who as you are all aware, were willing to pay handsomely to enter into a transshipment deal with us. We needed those funds to secure the plans for the Old Glades."

"We have no choice but to pay each gang off," Malcolm concluded his gaze fixed on the nuisance at the other end of the table.

"That will cut into our funds significantly," Carl pointed out.

"It's better than an all-out gang war in my city," Malcolm countered angrily. "I did not do all of this to see the gangs rip it apart. There are children playing on the streets below. They don't need to worry about being caught in the middle of a shootout between gangs and it is going to stay that way."

"And the plans for Terra district?" another member questioned.

"Will have to be postponed," Malcolm grudgingly admitted.

"Stellmore International isn't going to like that," Carl pointed.

"I will deal with Ms. Rochev," Malcolm stated. He could more than handle her. After all, Robert had willing shared with him intimate details about his relationship with the woman.

"And I suppose we should just overlook how this works in your sons' favour," another member who disapproved of the community centre spoke up.

"My sons are doing what they think is right for The Glades. In fact, if their plan works and residents agree to sell, it will save us a great deal," Malcolm pointed out.

The man held Malcolm's eye contact, "I am placing on record that I disagree with the community centre but since the majority agree, I will wait and see how this all pans out. I'll be quite happy to tell the lot of you, 'I told you so' in a few months' time," he sneered.

Malcolm didn't like him at all but the man was willing to put a significant amount of funds towards the development of the Terra District and they needed it. He was forced to look past the way the brothers often tried to put his family down.

"I believe that is all for the night," Malcolm stated bringing the meeting to a close.

Everyone nodded and soon the room was empty, leaving Malcolm to ponder the start difference between Novus District and the Old Glades.

**S-3**

Moira arrived home to find that Raisa had already prepared her medication for the night. There was a dull pounding behind her eyes that signified she had an oncoming migraine. She always had one after a committee meeting. It was stressful, reporting on her responsibilities, supporting Malcolm's decisions and now defending their children to the committee. Quite a few members had taken issue with the money that the company was going to be spending to create this futuristic community centre in the Glades. They preferred that the money be funneled into their other plans. What was the point of building the centre when they had plans to flatten the Old Glades and create another district?

The decisions they took tonight should protect them from any repercussions from the gangs. She was contemplating increasing security around the Mansion to ensure that her children were safe. Mr. Summer's idiocy had cost them a great deal and she knew Malcolm had plans for him. Mr. Drakon had lined up a replacement for Mr. Summers, who would take over at the port as soon as Malcolm made an example of Summers.

The one good thing about being with Malcolm was that he took care of his own. He would not stand for any threats against their family and since he was the most intimidating member, the others tended to listen to him. However, the two brothers that were added recently seemed completely unaffected by Malcolm. One appeared to have a keen interest in Malcolm and the other always asked about her and Thea. She suspected there was more to them than just wanting to invest in the Glades and she knew Malcolm sensed it too. He always kept his interactions with them brief.

Despite their daily dinners, she has never felt further from her family. Thea barely talked to her and Oliver was very closed off. Only Tommy seemed to appreciate and enjoy her company. Between the two boys, he seemed to have adjusted back to his old life the quickest. Tommy's issues with his father were still present and Malcolm's many rules weren't helping. To make matters worse, Malcolm most definitely didn't approve of Helena Bertinelli but Moira had convinced him to hold his tongue about that relationship. Based on history it could just be a passing attraction and there would be no need to make the relationship with his son any more tenuous.

Moira had also caught wind that Tommy was preparing to move out of the mansion. She had been informed that he leased a loft downtown under a false name. The landlord recognised him and mentioned it to Moira at a meeting in town hall. Moira pretended like she knew all about it and asked the man to remain quiet. She emphasised that Tommy rented the loft for privacy and if word got out that he was there he would move. She needed to corner Tommy before he told Malcolm. If he wanted the reveal to go smoothly then he was going to have to deliver the news at exactly the right time.

She was relieved that it didn't appear that Oliver was moving out. She had just got him back she really didn't want him moving away even if it was five minutes away. Walter had been giving her updates about Oliver's community centre project and how he was handling working in the office. At times things were difficult for Oliver. His lack of business training left him with a poor understanding of how the company worked but Walter insisted he was picking it up fast. Her son had already fired someone for breaking safety protocols in the lab and endangering the lives of his co-workers. There were a few rumours circulating that he had hooked up with a few secretaries and a barista at the coffee shop he visited but Moira knew those rumours weren't true. Her son was home every night and during the day she followed him on the city's network of cameras. At least he and Tommy were finally sticking to the speed limit.

Getting through to Thea was still a big problem. She was hoping that Oliver could help her reach Thea and break the hold that Malcolm appeared to have on her. Laurel had told her that Thea had attended her lecture at career day and had been asking about getting a tattoo. Moira wasn't sure what had triggered that line of thinking but it troubled her. It hurt that her daughter would sooner talk to outsiders than her own mother. Perhaps if she could get Malcolm to loosen his rules on her, Thea would be grateful and she could use that to kick start their relationship again.

Tomorrow she had a long day ahead of her. There was a city council meeting to discuss the investigation into the port that the FBI had started, there was another meeting to review the taxes on the business community, and then there was the weekly security meeting when she met with the heads of the police and fire departments. If she was going to be her usual impeccable self, she needed to get to sleep. She ate the French bread and caviar that Raisa had left for her to snack on before she took her medication. The doctor had told her not to take it on an empty stomach.

Once that plate was empty, she picked up the glass of water on the bedside table and took the tablets. By the time she finished her bath and changed into her night clothes, she could feel the headache receding. She lay down on the bed and closed her eyes. It usually took her a few minutes to fall asleep. She relaxed her breathing and concentrated on breathing in and out. The next thing she knew there was a stream of light entering her bedroom through a slight part in her curtains. It was morning and time to face the day. She had had another dreamless night but she pushed that fact to the back of her mind. She was Moira Queen and she needed to focus on being Moira Queen.

**S-4**

Tommy was going full steam ahead with his plan to break into the police station. Oliver disapproved, he wanted to focus on the fallout from Tommy's little prank on the gangs. His brother was 1000% sure that the woman that called was China White. Oliver's mission in Hong Kong revolved around capturing China White so he knew the woman well and Tommy didn't doubt for a second that Oliver was right. Oliver was extremely troubled by the fact that China White was calling his mother. There were a mass of negative implications that neither of them wanted to accept. Tommy also noted that his father relieved Moira of the phone and took the call outside. Did he know who was on the phone or was he just mad that dinner time had been interrupted? If he didn't know, then he was definitely biting off more than he could chew. Though it would be nice to see China White kick his ass. The most important question though was, did Moira know who China White was or did she think she was a legitimate business woman demanding to know where her cargo had gone?

Oliver was also annoyed that his compound bow had yet to arrive though Tommy suspected Oliver might have found some wood and made his own bow and arrows by now. Lyla had been sent off on some mission in Markovia and they were left having to submit their reports directly to Waller. Nothing ever pleased that woman. Tommy wandered if the woman had ever been laid in her life. She was so critical of every single thing. She thought they were moving at snail's pace and she was threatening to send a full tactical team to the port. They had to convince her that in order to find Tempest they needed to follow the fallout from port debacle and the FBI investigation was a great start.

When Tommy pulled up the various manifests at the port, he wanted to send some of the cargo to a place they could never retrieve it from and the FBI headquarters sounded like a good bet. He sent a container full of 'Irish four leaf clovers' to the FBI. When they opened it they found a container full of guns. He would have sent the cargo of 'Russian dolls' but he wasn't sure they would survive the trip to Quantico if no one knew they were there. Who knew how long the FBI would take to open the container. Instead he sent them to the Irish because of all the gangs, they treated women the best. He had the Triad's drugs shipped to Mexico. He was quite proud of the mess he created.

Tommy needed to pick up the party approval paperwork from the police station next to the convention centre. He parked the BMW out front and walked up the stairs into the station. He carefully observed the layout on the ground floor. The front doors opened out into a small area. There was seating on the right and a general reception desk on the left with a large wrought iron gate next to it. Behind the reception desk was a large open plan area with many desks. Some were occupied others weren't. There was no officer at the reception desk and a few people waiting on the seats to see someone. Tommy briefly wondered how much trouble he would get into if he were to slip behind the desk and find his paperwork himself. It would be a great way to test their response time.

He looked around quickly and no one was paying attention to him. He reached over the counter feeling for a buzzer to open the gate to get inside. He found it and pressed it. He then made it to the gate before the gate relocked. He looked around and no one had noticed a thing. No wonder they needed those security cameras, the cops couldn't see a crime being committed right in front of them. He was literally breaking into the police station and no one noticed.

He had no idea where to start looking for his paperwork. The reception desk was full of blank forms for people to fill out. He recognised the yellow party approval form he had filled out a few days ago. Where did those yellow forms go once someone submitted them? He scanned the desks on the floor and didn't see any yellow forms. He did however see someone very pretty that he recognised.

"McKenna Hall, is that you?" Tommy asked surprised boldly walking over to her. After all, if he announces himself, who's going to think he let himself in without permission.

"Tommy Merlyn!" McKenna replied equally surprised to see him. "What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

"What makes you think I got into any trouble?" Tommy asked leaning forward to give her a hug. He slipped his hands around her waist and lifted her ID badge that was strapped to the waist of her pants.

"Gee I don't know. Maybe the fact that every time I picked up a magazine when I was in high school, you and Oliver were plastered across the front of it. I still distinctly remember the peeing on a cop car incident. If you two think that because I'm a cop I'll take it lightly on you, you have another thing coming," McKenna said seriously.

Tommy laughed boisterously, "I assure you. We would never do something so ghastly to a cop as beautiful as you."

McKenna rolled her eyes, "Then surprise me by not being here to pay bail for something."

He grinned widely at her, "I'm here to collect the approval papers for our 'Back from the Dead' party on Saturday," he said before a light bulb went off in his head. "Hey you should come. Oliver would love to see you again."

McKenna snorted, "I doubt that."

"No really he would. Saturday, we're starting early because of all these time restrictions, 9:00pm," Tommy said making a face that said he clearly didn't approve of all the restrictions that had been added in five years.

"I'll think about it," she said. "You need to go over to Officer Layton to collect those forms," she said pointing to the other side of the room.

"No problem," Tommy said heading over to the Officer's desk.

He asked for the forms and was told he had to wait five minutes while he pulled them. To give the Officer some credit he did ask how Tommy had gotten back there. Tommy claimed he was visiting McKenna. Instead of waiting for the forms, he went to the men's room while the Officer pulled them. Once in the men's room, he pulled out his scanner and scanned the badge. The information on the badge would be stored in the scanner and he could create a duplicate at home. He returned to the officer's desk and collected the necessary approvals for him to host his party. Paperwork in hand, he went back to McKenna's desk to show her he was being a responsible adult.

"McKenna it was great seeing you," he said hugging her again and slipping the badge back on. "Make sure and come to the party."

"I'll think about it," she said.

"Great, I'll see you on Saturday. I got to get back to work before my assistant reports to my father that I spent one extra minute on lunch!" he quipped.

He walked out of the police station with a large smile on his face, phase 1 of breaking into the police station complete.

**S-5**

**Flashback Hong Kong**

One month, that was how long Tommy had been stuck in the hospital. The coffee table was filled with books about micro expression, profiling, sword techniques, Sun Tsu's _The Art of War_ and Dante's _Divine Comedy_ though Tommy didn't understand what was so comedic about it. He read the first line and put it down and hadn't touched it since. He could not understand why Mariko would think it was an interesting read. Instead he spent his time flirting with the nurses and examining their micro-expressions. It turned out he was naturally good at picking up the 'I'm interested in you' look and he scored with two of the nurses. At least he knew that two years on a deserted island hadn't really affected his game.

Mariko liked to bring him videos of agents interrogating suspects. His assignment was to determine when they were telling the truth and when they were lying. He was awful at it at first. He couldn't stomach the videos always needing to run down the corridor and throw up. How could someone torture another human being? What he did on the island, he did to survive. He didn't think he could willing torture another human being.

The last video Mariko had brought him was of Oliver using his arrows to torture a man for information about China White. Tommy had thrown up again. What was ARGUS doing to them? The Ollie he knew wasn't capable of that yet here with his very own eyes, was Oliver torturing a man. He needed to get back to Oliver.

"Good morning Mr. Merlyn," Mariko said pleasantly as she came through the emergency exit.

"Good morning," Tommy responded. Mariko was not dressed in her usual kimono choosing instead a tight fitting jeans and blouse. Tommy was momentarily struck by her tempting figure. The kimono she wore hid her curves but the tight jeans had everything on display and what a tempting display it was.

"Like what you see?" Mariko asked with a smirk.

His eyes snapped up to her, "Why do you insist on asking me rhetorical questions! We both know, you know the answer."

"I suppose I do but you've been getting better at keeping a calm façade. It's getting a bit more challenging to read you," she admitted.

"Really?" Tommy asked hopefully.

"Nope, you're still an open book," she replied with a teasing smile.

He schooled his face into the most murderous look he could think of and she laughed at him. He had gotten accustomed to her laugh. It wasn't a high pitched shrill laugh or a soft chuckle. It was just her.

"I have a treat for you today. We are going to another location," Mariko revealed with a glint in her eye.

"Really, I get to leave this place?" Tommy asked excited.

"Yes but only for a few hours. You'll be coming straight back here afterwards," Mariko responded.

"Bummer," Tommy said disappointed.

"Let's go," she said nodding her head in the direction of the exit.

Tommy followed after Mariko out the emergency exit towards a small Toyota Prius. It was a very unassuming car. Nobody would look at it and think 'oh there are two agents that work for a clandestine government agency'. She drove for about ten minutes before they came to a warehouse on the waterfront. Tommy followed Mariko inside. It was not what he was expecting. It was brightly lit with a large training mat on the floor and several mannequins. Several types of swords lined the walls.

"Is this him," a thin Chinese woman said.

"Yes Tatsu-San," Mariko answered. Her voice carried the deepest respect for the woman she was talking to.

"Good, let us begin," she said drawing her sword out of its holster.

"That looks sharp," Tommy said eyeing the tip of the sword.

"It is," she said swinging the sword at a mannequin and cutting its head off.

Tommy gulped. Maybe he shouldn't have wanted to leave the hospital so badly. "Is this my sword training?" he asked fearfully.

"Yes, you've been asking repeatedly for it. Well here it is," Mariko said walking over to a chair in the corner and opening the book she brought with her from the car.

Tommy turned back towards the woman, "You're my teacher?"

"You're just as bright as Oliver," Tatsu said taking up an attack position.

"You know Oliver?" Tommy asked. That disgusting video was the only trace of Oliver he had. If he could find out more information about him, then perhaps they could get out of this mess together.

"He's staying in my house. My husband is his handler. The sooner the two of you complete your mission, the sooner the two of you get out of our lives, now choose a sword and let's start," she said advancing on him with her sword.

Tommy's instincts kicked in and he ran to the wall and picked up a short sword. He blocked her first attack but then slashed the first button off of his shirt.

"Not good enough. You would be dead now," she stated blandly.

"You caught me off guard," he said defending himself.

"You think assassins wait for you to be on guard to attack?" she shot back at him sarcastically.

"Uh no," he said barely raising his sword on time to block another attack. "Damn you're a strong Chinese girl," he muttered.

"I'm Japanese," she corrected. Her voice was calm but her face betrayed what she was truly feeling. The way her eyes had narrowed slightly at him and the momentary pull of some of her facial muscles told him she was exceedingly angry at him but like a true fighter she was trying to remain calm and focused. He knew exactly when her next attack was coming and he was able to block it and attempt a counter move though it didn't get him anywhere. She was faster, more agile and more skilled than him. She hit him on his back with the flat side of her blade.

"There may be some hope for him, Mariko," Tatsu admitted. To Tommy it sounded like she was loathe to admit that.

He turned to look at Mariko but Tatsu hit him on the head with the flat side of her blade.

"Pay attention! I am your instructor here," she commanded harshly.

"Ow," he said as he tried to focus on blocking her next attack.

He felt like that four year old boy that tried to outsmart his father so that he could stay up late to look at TV. He never succeeded. His father was always ten steps ahead of him and it felt the same way with Tatsu.

A few hours later, a very sore Tommy returned to the hospital with a very amused Mariko.

"The next time you tell me something is a treat, I'm going to be very wary," Tommy told her as he collapsed on the nearest couch. Every muscle ached and he knew he was going to have bruises all over him tomorrow. Tatsu was very fond of hitting him with the flat side of her sword.

"You should be wary of everyone around you Mr. Merlyn," Mariko said to him taking a seat opposite him.

"Stop with the Mr. Merlyn. Call me Tommy please. We've known each other for a while now. I don't need to be wary of you. You are not a threat," he told her turning on the couch to face her.

She arched her eyebrow, "How am I not a threat Tommy?"

"I would already be dead if you were," he answered confidently.

"Maybe, I could be under orders to keep you alive," she pointed out.

"That is possible, but you don't want me dead," he said looking at her straight in the eyes.

"No I don't," she admitted with a soft smile. "Rest tonight, I'll be back at eight tomorrow morning. You'll train with Tatsu during the day and afterwards we will continue our lessons."

Tommy groaned. Not even the island had made him this tired. He had the distinct feeling that things were only going to get worse from there.

**S-6**

A text message from Felicity kindly requested Oliver's presence in the IT department at his convenience. He assumed that meant she had her suggestions for the community centre ready. He had a brief meeting with Walter to attend and then a few interviews to sit in on as they tried to find him an appropriate Executive Assistant. Malcolm had given him the title of Vice-President of Applied Sciences while Tommy got the title of Vice-President of Mergers and Acquisitions. The talk in the secretary pool was that when Thea finished her studies, she was going to be Vice-President of Operations, a title more important than what the two of them were doing. Thea was clearly Malcolm's favourite.

He knew Tommy was extremely grateful that Robert had started teaching them about mergers while they were on board the Queen's Gambit. That bit of knowledge was coming in quite useful to him now. Malcolm had dropped three possible acquisitions on Tommy's desk, and Oliver knew Tommy was neck deep in financial statements from all three companies. Malcolm was clearly testing him.

It made Oliver extremely grateful that he had Walter at the Applied Sciences building and not Malcolm guiding him. Working with Walter was much easier than he thought it would be. Walter seemed to know exactly how to introduce him to work life. When he first found out that he would be returning to his life as Oliver Queen, he wanted nothing to do with the company. However, it soon became clear to him that in order to have a smooth transition back, he needed to join the company. At least the Applied Sciences Division wasn't boring. There were plenty of interesting projects though Oliver had no clue how they worked, just that they did. There was also a treasure chest of prototypes that he was itching to borrow for their mission.

It was after working hours when he arrived in the IT department. He was quite surprised she was still there even though she had struck him as a diligent worker. When he arrived by her desk, she was busy on her tablet looking through some sort of list. He cleared his throat and she jumped.

"Don't you knock," she accused, her eyes narrowed behind those square framed glasses. The soft blue glow of the computers around them made her eyes look like blue fire.

Again a smile involuntarily pulled at his lips, "Felicity, this isn't the ladies room," he replied amused to her accusation.

"It may not be the ladies room, but there's still a door there," she replied grumpily while she put her tablet away.

Oliver didn't continue that topic of conversation any further and decided to ask about his phone. "Care to enlighten me how you got my number?" he asked showing Felicity the text message she sent him on his private phone.

She looked up at him and smiled innocently, "If it's on the internet I can find it." The smile drew his attention briefly to her pink lips.

"My phone number is not on the internet," Oliver pointed out.

"No but your phone carrier is," Felicity chirped happily getting up from her desk. She opened her top draw and pulled out a memory stick. "Follow me," she said.

He followed her to the elevator and then up to a conference room on one of the other floors. She turned on the projector and laptop that were already set up in the room. She plugged her stick into a laptop and logged in. The screen on the wall went from the usual blue to the desktop of the laptop.

"I asked a few of my buddies in some of the other departments for some input to make sure all the structural calculations were correct. We came up with five designs that all use the latest cutting edge technology," she said moving the cursor on the laptop towards a window that had automatically opened when she plugged the stick in. She opened her stick and Oliver noted the file folder names. Apartment lease, Budget, Car expenses, Car Lease, Ghost Fox Goddess, Las Vegas, MQI, Oliver, Star City, Walter. There were files below the folders but he didn't reach to them as Felicity had moved the cursor to the Oliver folder and opened its contents.

There were several files in the folder named after him. Quite a few of them were in formats he didn't recognise. She scrolled quickly down to a power point presentation labelled 'For Oliver' and she opened it. The title slide was headed with the name Verdant and below it was a picture of the current building.

"Verdant?" he asked confused.

"I thought 'The Glades Community Centre' was a boring name so I chose Verdant. The designs recommended are all environmentally friendly as we aim to maximise the use of Green Technologies, which makes this," Felicity said pointing to the picture of the building on the slide, "A green building so I used a variant of the French meaning for green as the name for the project. Obviously, this is just a draft, it's your building you can call it whatever you want," Felicity explained nervously.

"I like it," he said staring at the name Verdant.

"You do?" she asked shocked.

"I do," he replied smiling. There was the smile again. It seemed like he couldn't stop smiling when Felicity was around. He needed to have a talk with his facial muscles. They kept defying him. "I'm kind of fond of the colour green," he said letting his eyes drift to her blue eyes. He might be fond of the colour blue too.

She blushed under his intense gaze and turned around to look at the presentation. "We put quite a lot of tech into this building so if you don't understand something just ask. I'll try to go through it slowly and not go into any side babbles," she said seriously.

Two hours later and a call from Malcolm about missing dinner, Oliver was absolutely blown away by what she had showed him. She had surpassed every expectation he had. He was sure she had even done the architects job for them. She had listened to his idea about what he wanted the community centre to be and she incorporated it into every aspect of the community centre. She showed him a total of five different designs and he liked all. She certainly didn't lack imagination. There were some things that he liked more than others but he didn't feel he should ask her to make the changes. She already had a job at MQI to do. No he would ask her for the plans and hire a new architect and make them finalise the plans for the building.

There was something he didn't see in the plans though, "You haven't shown me the designs for the basement?"

"I've left the basement as a shell for you to do with as you please. It's structurally sound enough to support the building on top, and it will be wired to accommodate a significant electrical and communications load. It'll be the perfect blank slate for you," Felicity said with a wide smile.

Oliver automatically smiled at her, "Felicity you are truly remarkable."

"Thank you for remarking on that!"

Felicity had passed his first test in flying colours. For her second test, he wanted her to hack into his mother's laptop. He was suspicious of the call from China White and rather than jump to some outrageous conclusions he would check to see what his mother's exposure to the Triad was. Of course he would need to get said laptop and considering his mother rarely let it out of her sight, it was going to be a difficult task.

**S-7**

Tommy received a text message from Helena asking him to meet her at his loft. He took that as a sign that he hadn't totally botched their last date. He got out of the elevator to find the front door to the loft wide open. He immediately reached into his jacket and pulled out a small dagger he had on him at all times. He cautiously approached the door. He looked inside and saw Helena out on the balcony. The rest of the loft was still empty. He didn't see any of the usual meatheads with her. He glanced up the stairs as he made his way into the apartment but didn't see or hear anything. He joined her on the balcony.

"Hello beautiful," he said placing a nonchalant smile on his face. He was still on high alert after finding his front door wide open.

"Hi there," she said softly reaching up and giving him a chaste kiss. Tommy was pleasantly surprised. There was still something that was bothering him though.

"I don't know how to say this politely but how the hell did you get in here?" Tommy asked. Security in this building wasn't perfect. He chose this place for exactly that reason, there were blind spots that he could use to come and go but it was supposed to be good enough to keep other people out.

A wide smirk settled onto her features, "I'm a very versatile woman," she replied holding up a lock pick set. Tommy was again surprised. It wasn't often that people surprised him anymore but Helena was an enigma to him.

"Ah a real renaissance woman," Tommy complimented her. He would not ask her where she learned to pick a lock. Whatever secrets she had, he wanted her to share them with him when she wanted to.

"So I took you up on your offer?" she said coyly.

Tommy frowned, "Which offer was that?"

"To help you decorate," she reminded him with a sly smile.

Tommy looked back into the empty apartment, "I see or maybe I should say I don't see," he replied.

"You really do look like a lost puppy sometimes," she said walking back into the loft.

Tommy followed after her and he had to grudgingly admit to himself he was following her like a puppy but Helena needed to remember that puppies had very sharp teeth. She stopped at the base of the stairs and looked at him.

"I thought I would start with the most important room," she said before climbing the stairs.

He followed her straight to the master bedroom which was fully decorated. There was a large king size bed in the middle of the room with two bedside tables on each side. There was a chest of draws on the wall opposite the bed and an armchair with a reading table next to it in the corner.

"I do agree that the bedroom is the most important room," he said stunned.

"I tested several beds before I decided on this one," she said walking over and sitting on the bed.

Tommy raised an eyebrow, "I hope you tested them alone," he said. He may have sounded a bit like a jealous lover but he didn't care.

"I did but I'm curious to see if I got it right," she said patting the spot next to her.

Tommy again, followed orders and sat next to her.

"Tommy, I'm a woman of action and when I want something, I get it," she said before she pulled him towards her by the lapels of his jacket and crashed her lips against his.

The kiss was urgent. Never before had Tommy ever felt like the submissive one in a relationship. He wasn't sure where he wanted this thing to go with Helena but he knew he wanted it to go somewhere. Her lips were soft against his, and she tasted a bit like peppermint. He knew she was fond of peppermint tea and deserts with peppermint in it. She certainly wasn't a shy kisser or afraid of deepening the kiss. He soon found himself lying on the bed and Helena straddling him. She started to kiss down the column of his neck until she reached the base of his neck.

She pulled away suddenly and looked down at him with lustful eyes. Tommy took that opportunity to flip them. This puppy was not a submissive one. He attacked her lips, it was his turn to be the dominant. While he was working on leaving a hickey on her neck, she shrugged him out of his jacket and started working on his shirt. He pulled away to examine his work on her neck. It had been a long time since he had done something like this. She sat up and pushed his open shirt off his shoulders. He watched pleased as her eyes surveyed his chest and his eight pack.

"Like what you see," he teased.

"Very much so," she said reaching behind his neck and pulling him towards her for another bruising kiss.

Her hands dropped from his neck down to his back. Her touch was wonderful until he realised she had stopped. He knew what she started to feel. She didn't stop kissing him though. She was still very much dedicated to what they were doing. Her hands started moving again but this time she was tentatively following what she felt.

A vision of Mariko screaming in pain flooded his mind. Her screams hurt more than the sword that was carving lines into his back. Tommy tried to push the awful memory to the back of his mind and focus on Helena. He replaced the sword with the gentle touch of her fingers and tried to concentrate on her smooth lips and velvety tongue but Mariko's screams refused to go away. The pain and anguish he felt then pushed away whatever pleasure Helena had been giving him.

"I'm sorry I got to go," Tommy said pulling away from her. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it on buttoning it up quickly. He picked his jacket up off the ground where Helena had thrown it.

He glanced back at her, she looked thoroughly kissed. Her lips were swollen, the spot on her neck was an angry red. He should be quite pleased with himself but he couldn't get Mariko's face out of his head. This had been a bad idea.

"Sorry," he said again before he fled from the loft as if he had been burnt.

**S-8**

Oliver saw Tommy enter the house and head straight to his room. That was unusual. Usually he would visit the kitchen or talk to a member of staff. He made it a point to be kind to the staff and keep up the appearance of the Tommy Merlyn from the past. Something had happened. Oliver took the stairs three at time and headed straight to Tommy's room. He knocked with enough force to imply that Tommy should answer the knock. When Tommy didn't respond, Oliver knocked harder. His brother still ignored him.

"Tommy, I know you're in there," Oliver said through the door. The corridor was clear and he knew their parents and Thea weren't home yet.

There was no response. He was being ignored and Oliver did not like that one bit.

"Ok Tommy we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. Your choice," Oliver said standing back from the door a bit. He was prepared to kick it in if need be.

He heard angry footsteps coming towards the door before it swung open. "What do you want Oliver," Tommy snapped. His expression was a mix of anger, torment and regret. He had only seen this particular look on his brother once. It was just after they had reunited before Oliver went to Russia. Tatsu had explained what had happened to him.

"And you're supposed to be the well-adjusted one," Oliver quipped lightly. Being his usual broody self would not help Tommy now.

Tommy was about to slam the door in his face when Oliver brushed passed him and entered the room. He saw Tommy's copy of the _Divine Comedy_ on his bedside table. That was not a good sign.

"I heard the plans for the party are on track so I don't think its party related. Things with Malcolm are ok. So I'm guessing its Helena. She ended things after that disastrous date?" Oliver guessed.

"Quite the opposite. She bought me a bed," Tommy said sourly.

Oliver frowned, "A bed?"

"Yes a bed, like the one in this room," Tommy said pointing impatiently to his king size bed.

"That's a good sign isn't it?" Oliver asked. "I mean she may be a bit forward but when has Tommy Merlyn ever shied away from a bedroom challenge."

"It started out good," Tommy admitted thinking about their kissing. He had enjoyed kissing her. It felt really good. "But then my shirt came off," Tommy said recalling Helena's touch on his back.

Understanding dawned immediately for Oliver, "She asked questions."

"Actually no. She didn't say a word. She didn't see it. She felt it with her hands while we were kissing. I could tell she was curious and I just didn't know what to tell her. Suddenly I was back there and it was happening all over again," Tommy said the agony clear in his voice. His eyes were starting to fill with water. "I saw it with crystal clear clarity Ollie. Is that going to happen every time a woman touches my back?"

"I don't know Tommy," Oliver answered honestly, "Is this the first time that you've been intimate with someone since her?" Even though Oliver knew what happened. They never discussed it.

Tommy turned to stare out the window, "Yes. There's been no one since her."

"She would want you to move on. She didn't spend all that time teaching you for you to mope around now. Don't be the silly billionaire you were. Be the man she knew you could be because that was who she was proud of. That was who she loved."

Tommy eyed him skeptically, "I'm the one that's supposed to have the sage advice. How are you so light hearted today?"

Oliver shrugged, "Verdant is on track. The new architect will be submitting the revised plans in a few days. After that hopefully we can start construction by next week."

"Verdant?" Tommy questioned and Oliver remembered that he hadn't actually shared Felicity's presentation with Tommy yet.

"Yes our community centre," Oliver said a bit guiltily.

"Oh, our supposed project that you've hogged completely to yourself," Tommy pointed out.

"I thought you were busy with your acquisitions," Oliver said to defend himself.

"I am," Tommy confirmed, "But I would have liked to see the plans."

"I'll e-mail them to you," Oliver said pulling up his e-mail on his phone and sending Tommy the last version of the plans.

"You've suddenly become quite tech savvy," Tommy said suspicion lacing his voice. "Is this sudden knowledge related to recruiting our tech person?"

Oliver nodded silently. He was not opening that can of worms. If he kept his facial expression blank then Tommy would not pick up on anything. He knew if he was silent long enough, Tommy would fill the silence and he would look for something happy to fill it with.

"Oh you will never guess who I saw today," Tommy said with a wiggle of his eyebrow.

Oliver tried not to look relieved that Tommy dropped his previous line of questioning. Instead he tried for an exasperated look. "Do I even want to know?" Oliver asked adding groan at the end.

"Of course you want to know. She's smoking hot now," Tommy said and Oliver's mind strangely wondered to Felicity Smoak. "McKenna Hall. She's a Detective with SCPD. I invited her to the party tomorrow. Don't worry," he said patting Oliver on the back, "You can thank me tomorrow."

"Tommy I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Oliver admitted.

"Oliver," Tommy said giving him a serious look, "At least one of us needs to get laid. Trust me, you could do a whole lot worse than McKenna. There's the added bonus that she's in law enforcement already so you're not endangering her any further. Give it a try for me," Tommy pleaded.

Oliver chuckled, "Ok," he said heading to the door. He stopped at the entrance to look back at Tommy, "This time when you read the book," he said his eyes going to the copy of _Divine Comedy_ on the bedside table, "Try to reach to the part about paradise. I don't think it's particularly healthy to stay in hell for so long."

**S-9**

Thea arrived to the sparing area first. It was located in Malcolm's private wing that was guarded by a security code. As far as she knew, only three people had the code, Malcolm, herself, and their butler. She had prepared herself mentally for the challenge to her father. She only hoped that she was physically capable of doing it. The door to the room opened and her father stepped into the room.

"Good morning Thea, I see you are ready for our weekly spar," he said pleasantly. He walked over to the wall that was lined with various weapons and pulled a sword from it.

Thea swallowed it was now or never, "I want to challenge you for the right to go to the party tonight. Every time I land a hit on you, I get ten minutes at the party."

Her father arched an eyebrow at her. He studied her very carefully for a few moments. She had no idea what he was thinking but she hoped he would agree. She even had her fingers crossed behind her back and that lucky four leaf clover necklace Mr. O'Malley had given her for her birthday last year around her neck.

"Interesting. You have the right to challenge me to a duel," he said walking over to the wall to replace the sword.

"We're not fighting with swords?" she asked confused. They had been fighting with swords for the last three months.

"No, if you're intent on hitting me, I would rather not walk around with open wounds. People tend to ask too many questions if you're bleeding," he quipped while picking up a kendo stick. "I wish to modify the challenge before I officially accept it," he told her.

Thea tilted her head to the side as she studied her father, "How so?" she asked cautiously.

"For every hit I get in, you're to follow one of my requests unquestionably," he stated.

There was a glint in her father's eye that she knew did not bode well for her. He was a cunning man and she had watched him manipulate people to get his desired outcome. She had even picked up quite a few tips from him. She was sure his additional stipulation was something he was going to reap benefits from way into the future but she really needed to go to that party. There was no way she could walk into school on Monday and not have gone to the party. She would be a total loser and Thea Queen-Merlyn was not a loser. She squared her shoulder and looked him straight in the eye. "I agree," she said. She was going to have to keep her defense very tight.

"Very well," her father said with a cocky smirk, "Let's begin."

Thea didn't even have her kendo stick yet and her father was charging at her already. Thea used the small dagger that her father had given her as a gift and threw it at him. The momentary distraction allowed Thea to cross the room and collect her own stick.

"That wasn't fair!" she protested when she had her weapon in her hands.

"Your enemy doesn't wait for a fair time to approach you Thea. It is in their interest to catch you at an off guard time," he stated swinging his stick swiftly to strike at her. Thea barely blocked the first swing before he entered into a complicated attack sequence that ended with him trying to sweep her off her feet. She blocked all of his attacks and jumped to avoid the sweep but that was what he wanted her to do. He attacked her while in air, which she blocked, but it threw her off on her landing since she hadn't been expecting that. He usually stopped after she jumped. In trying to correct herself she dropped her guard slightly and he landed one hit on her shoulder.

"One," he said with a distinct glint in his eye.

She huffed and took up the ready position. Six more hits later, all in Malcolm's favour, and Thea was beginning to realise that she was actually at a disadvantage. He taught her these attack sequences and taught her how to respond. He knew exactly what she was going to do. He was always ten steps ahead of her. Perhaps it had been foolish to challenge him. She should have approached her mother. She could have easily have gotten her to agree to talk to Malcolm on her behalf. Her mother was the only person she knew that could outmanoeuvre Malcolm but her pride had kept her from talking to her mother. It was too late now to use that approach. She had committed to this challenge and she would see it through. She would find a way to break her father's guard. They entered another complicated sparring sequence and Thea barely got away unscathed.

"You're in defensive mode Thea. How are you supposed to land a hit on me if you're only defending?" Malcolm goaded.

Thea growled. She was reluctant to admit it but her father was right. Malcolm got three more hits in before Thea had an idea. She would have to drop her guard to get the hit in but since they were working with kendo sticks, there wasn't too much consequence to doing it. She started to attack him but as expected he quickly reversed the tide and she was on defence again. She dropped her guard on her left side and as her father moved to strike, she struck him on his upper arm just before he struck her.

"Yes," Thea shouted happily. She had finally done it.

Malcolm swung the stick at her head and she barely ducked in time to avoid it.

"You got one hit in. I'm not dead yet," he said sternly.

In other words, don't get distracted. She was about to settle back into their session when there was a knock at the door. Malcolm walked over to the door. He opened it and conversed with their butler on the other side before closing it quickly.

"It appears we need to cut our session short Mr. Drakon is here to discuss a few matters with me. Be ready at 10:00pm sharp tonight," he said.

Thea bounced happily up and down. She ran up to her father and kissed him on the cheek, "I'll be ready," she said excitedly before she ran for the door.

"Thea!" her father called after her.

She stopped at the door and looked at him, "Don't forget your dagger," he said pointing to the object that he had sent flying to the side of the room earlier.

"Oh," Thea said running back to collect it.

"You should always keep track of where all of your weapons are. You never know when someone might use it against you," he lectured.

Thea really didn't care. It was a fantastic day. She was going to the party and Constantine was visiting. It was a good thing she made the bookings at the salon to get her hair and nails done. She caught sight of her reflection while passing a mirror in the corridor and realised she needed a quick bath and change of clothes. She couldn't bump into Constantine looking like this.

She also noted that her father made sure to get a hard hit in on both of her upper arms. If he thought that was going to keep her from wearing something sexy to the party then he was dead wrong. Thea was sure she had a sexy black dress with short sleeves that would cover both bruises easily.

**S-10**

Malcolm opened the door to his study to find Constantine seated in the guest chair. It wasn't unusual for Constantine to visit him at the Mansion but he never came with good news.

"Constantine, I suppose this is urgent?" Malcolm asked striding forward to his desk and taking a seat behind it.

"Have you seen the news?" he asked leaning forward.

"No I've been preoccupied with other matters," Malcolm answered vaguely.

"A list of Keron's patients were leaked along with some live video feed of his therapy sessions," Constantine gravely revealed.

Malcolm sighed, "Those videos were never to get out."

"They are not his. I saw his videos and these are shot from a different angle. I searched his office and found a secondary camera installed on the bookshelf. He claims it isn't his and he never noticed it," Constantine explained.

"How long has it been there?" Malcolm asked with narrowed eyes. Keron Kreukis, though brilliant, was an idiot.

"Keron looked at the footage released and he said he saw nothing older than the last two weeks," Constantine revealed.

"Would the camera have caught any of our activities?" Malcolm asked. He really didn't want to have to make another example.

"If it is restricted to the last two weeks then no. They would have no idea what we were really using that office for," Constantine replied.

"I wonder if this is related to the docks," Malcolm said aloud. "I don't believe in coincidences and these two blunders are too close."

"I have a team reviewing the security footage from outside Keron's office over the last month. If someone broke in, we'll find him. The newspapers are having a field day with this story though. The current trending headline is 'Dr. Kreukis's private practice not so private anymore'. It is illegal to videotape a patient's session without their knowledge and the leak claimed these were Dr. Kreukis's videos. This is going to be a further setback to our plans," Constantine advised finally leaning back in his chair. He had delivered the bad news and he was still alive.

Malcolm rubbed his temple, "I just finished dealing with Mr. Summers."

"SCPD finally found his body this morning," Constantine told him.

"I sometimes wonder what inept people Moira has working in the department. I wasn't even trying to hide the body and it still took them days to find it. Is Mr. Gaynor ready?" Malcolm asked.

"Yes he's ready. He already has plans to upgrade the security at the port so that the incident will not repeat itself," the mercenary responded.

"I hope he knows what will happen if it does," Malcolm threatened.

"He is aware," Constantine reassured him. "There are a few more matters I think we should discuss before the next executive meeting."

"What matters?" Malcolm asked curiously. He wasn't aware of any other matters that required his attention.

"There is a new drug in the Old Glades. They call it Vertigo. Very potent, highly addictive and more than 85% of the users eventually die."

"Are any of our partners distributing it?" Malcolm asked.

"No they are honouring the terms of our agreement and shipping their stuff out of the city. Intel suggests it's a new player on the scene that goes by the name Count Vertigo."

"Then I don't see how this is of any concern to me? Let the animals in the Glades take it. If they kill themselves out it will only further our plans?" Malcolm answered.

"It could become a problem to the wider society," Constantine pointed out.

"Ignore it for now. Next," Malcolm asked.

"Our local ARGUS agent is out of town on a mission," Constantine said to him.

"How long is she gone for?" Malcolm asked. He needed to know urgently if their intruder was another ARGUS agent or a new enemy making their way into his city. He knew HIVE was interested in the city but his affiliations with the League kept them away. He would have to contact the League to get an update on HIVE's latest initiatives.

"We are not sure but as soon as she returns we'll send in someone to retrieve the information. If there is an operative working an active mission in the city we will know about it," Constantine said confidently.

"Let me know as soon as she's back. Next item," Malcolm instructed.

"Your son leased a loft in the executive district downtown," he said.

"Really," Malcolm said surprised. He didn't think Tommy had the balls to make such a move.

"Yes, what do you want us to do about it?" his security adviser asked.

"Upgrade the security around the building. He should be just as safe living there as if he were here," Malcolm instructed.

"You're letting him move out?" Constantine asked surprised.

"Yes, if he's taking responsibility by moving out, I'm not going to discourage him. Its time he learnt to be a man," Malcolm said proudly.

"And what about Oliver?" he asked curiously.

"He'll probably stay here to be closer to his sister and mother," Malcolm guessed.

Constantine nodded to indicate he understood.

"I'll be attending the party tonight with Thea at approximately 10:30pm. Make sure security is tight. I do not want any incidents with my daughter present," Malcolm instructed. He could see the surprise reflected in his associate's face. To attend the party would mean he endorsed it and that was exactly what he wanted the outside world to think. His instincts told him that there was an enemy on the horizon and he needed to show a united family to the public. Arriving well after the party had started would guarantee him and Thea an entrance that the paparazzi would approve of. His only quandary was if he should include Moira or leave her home.

With no matters left to discuss, Malcolm walked Constantine out to the door. Thea was waiting by the door in a short red skirt and white blouse.

"Hello Mr. Drakon," she said with a small smile when she saw Constantine. Malcolm noted the slight trace of red that adorned her cheeks.

"Good day Ms. Merlyn," Constantine replied politely back.

"I thought you were upstairs," Malcolm said the disapproval clear in his tone. That skirt was much too short to be on his daughter. At least his associate had the decency to keep his eyes zeroed in on Thea's face.

"I have an appointment with the salon to get my hair and nails done for tonight. My security escort is bringing the car around front," she said rocking back on her heels.

Malcolm opened the door, "I will see you later Constantine," he said. The message was very clear. Get out. When he closed the door behind his associate he rounded on his daughter.

"Go upstairs and change!"

"What. Why?" Thea asked crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"We had a deal Thea. You have to follow ten of my requests, consider this request number one. Go and change into something that at least reaches your knees," he insisted.

His daughter pouted before turning around and marching up the stairs annoyed. He sometimes felt that dealing with a teenaged daughter was so much harder than handling both Tommy and Oliver combined. He didn't move an inch until Thea returned in a more suitable outfit, meaning her skirt was replaced with a pair of decent jeans. Once he saw her off, he walked to the TV room where he found Moira already engrossed in the Dr. Kreukis saga.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I briefly considered splitting the chapter into three but then that just pushed Diggle back too far! Don't worry he's coming. Both boys could really do with his guidance.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	7. Temptation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Arrow. 
> 
> I know I'm very late with this chapter. Sorry.

Oliver preened as he watched the newsreel about Dr. Kreukis. It was the perfect culmination to a well-developed plan. Originally, he was going to plant the camera during one of his own sessions with the doctor but then he thought that Dr. Kreukis would be so surprised that he was awake instead of asleep, he would probably watch him like a hawk. That forced him to execute his plan at night when the office was closed. He waited until everyone in the Mansion was asleep and then he went down to the garage. He kept his spare bow and quiver full of arrows stored behind a cabinet in the garage. He was still waiting on the new compound bow that ARGUS had promised him. The camera system around the Mansion had no blind spots but Oliver had been able to tinker with it so that several cameras would show the previous night's recording. With the cameras down he had a few hours to explore what happened in Star City after dark. Once he was back before Malcolm awoke at 5:00am, he would be good.

He made his way through the woods to the area where they had stashed their bikes. Just like Tommy had done, he stayed below the speed limit and no one picked up on a strange man on a motorcycle riding with a bow and arrow on his back. Breaking into the office was ridiculously easy. For a man that built his reputation on ensuring his clients had privacy, he sure made no effort to protect that privacy after dark. All of the filing cabinets were unlocked and Oliver pulled out his own file to read what the doctor wrote about him. It was an entertaining read. The doctor was contemplating several approaches to get Oliver to stay awake during a session.

Next he focused on Tommy's file. His brother had completely fooled the man. The Doctor rated him as a model patient even recording in his notes that he was going to speak to Malcolm about Tommy only coming in once a month for check-ups. Oliver shook his head in disgust. The professional shrink had completely missed all of the cracks in Tommy's façade. Tommy liked to think he put on a good show but if you looked close enough, you could see the cracks. Oliver knew them all and he suspected that Malcolm and his mother had seen a few as well. He could only image what their family would think if they knew the truth about them.

Oliver went through all of the filing cabinets and compiled a list of patients that were seeing Dr. Kreukis. He scanned the room for a place to put the camera. The location needed to have a good view of the patient and Dr. Kreukis as well as being crowded enough so that the camera isn't noticed. He settled for planting if on the bookshelf. When ARGUS supplied him with that camera they probably didn't want him to use it to get out of his shrink sessions. Before leaving he decided to rifle through the Doctor's desk to see if he found anything interesting. There was no personal information about the Doctor but he did find a nice bottle of scotch in the bottom of the draw. It was a difficult brand to get and he knew that Malcolm also kept a bottle of the stuff in his personal study.

Oliver gleefully released the full patient list and little clips of the video sessions. He was very cognisant of the fact that some of the patients probably trusted the doctor with their innermost demons and were actively seeking help to fix it so Oliver didn't release whole sessions. He picked a few moments here and there that depicted the doctor asking questions of his patients. There were some really interesting sessions though. The city planner had a thing for underage girls, the fire chief had an obsession with starting fires, and alderman Blood was running his own little cult. He had little faith in Star City's justice system so he made a list of the wrongs that people were committing and decided that he would be the person to fix it.

After he released the information he waited three hours before he found his way into the home theatre room where his mother and Malcolm were watching the Dr. Kreukis debacle unfold. The good Doctor was currently being interviewed live by a reporter on the local news channel. He frantically insisted that he had nothing to do with that video. He insisted someone who wanted to destroy him planted the camera and released the videos. The shrink worked himself up into such a stupor that when the reporter asked him if he had ever videotaped patients in the past himself he automatically replied yes before backtracking and insisting that was for patients who underwent hypnosis and wanted to see a video of it afterwards. Oliver took note of that. None of those recordings were in the office.

"This is a disaster," Moira said to Malcolm. "Oliver's and Tommy's names are all over the news."

"Look on the bright side mom," Oliver said, "At least it isn't because we went on a drunken binge and did stupid things."

"In this case that might actually have been better," Malcolm sneered. "Our investors are now questioning your mental health and my decision to give both you and Tommy senior positions in the company."

Oliver shrugged and left Malcolm and his mother alone.

He was thrilled when Camille, Dr. Kreukis's secretary, called to inform him that his appointments for that week had been cancelled and that they would contact him at a later date to reschedule. He doubted the second part. It would be a long time before Dr. Kreukis would be able to get his practice up and running again. Several red flags were raised about the recording of patient's sessions. It would take months to sort out and Oliver was hoping Malcolm would not find another shrink for him.

**S-2**

Malcom insisted that one of the drivers take them to the party in the limousine. Tommy's father made it crystal clear that neither Tommy nor Oliver were to drink and drive or do anything foolish. He was still weathering the fallout from the Dr. Kreukis debacle. The driver was instructed to wait outside the convention centre to take them home at whatever hour they decided they were ready. Thea was noticeably absent when they left and Oliver wandered if she was angry with him.

They arrived outside the convention centre to find a mass of women and photographers awaiting their arrival. It seemed the entire female population of Star City had come to the party. Tommy put a charming smile on his face and waved at the crowd as he exited the limo. Oliver followed suit. The blinding flashes of the cameras and large crowd were a bit disconcerting for him. It had been a long time since he had been in the public eye like that. Over the last five years he had grown accustomed to a quiet, anonymous life.

The security Malcolm had hired, tried to clear a path through the crowd for them to get inside. Over a dozen reporters were throwing questions at them. It annoyed Oliver but he controlled his annoyance and plastered on a charming grin. "Come on inside and enjoy the fun," he declared to them all. He and Tommy stood there with fake grins on their faces while the paparazzi took pictures. They did tell Malcolm that this was an opportunity to get the paparazzi off their back and hopefully end their curiosity about them.

After a few minutes of posing they decided to head inside which was already crowded with party goers. Many women in outfits that Oliver thought were meant only for the bedroom, came up to try and talk with them but the security kept most of them at bay. The old Ollie would have loved this, the new Oliver didn't particularly care for it. Perhaps it was from his time in the Bratva where he saw women sold as cattle. The Bratva dressed them up in outfits quite similar to make money off of them. The whole experience had sickened him.

They were led to a VIP area where the Manager of the convention centre was waiting to greet them. Tommy handled most of that conversation since the party was his friend's idea. It gave him an opportunity to properly survey the scene. The VIP area was separated via a low wall and two guards from the main area. Persons had to flash a special band to get in. He supposed he would be receiving his band soon. The main area was very crowded but the VIP area had yet to properly fill up. They had their own bar which he assumed was vastly different from the other bar.

A tall man with a megawatt smile approached him with a short brunette at his side. "Hi, I'm Ray Palmer and this is my fiancée, Anna."

"Oliver Queen," Oliver said extending his hand. He had heard all about the golden couple in Star City. It was a fairy tale that was being perpetuated by the newspapers in the city. Oliver was surprised that Ray's grip was firm. He had assumed he was just another poster boy. The man obviously cared about his physique.

He turned next to Anna, "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said that playboy charm in place.

"The pleasure is all mine," she replied politely with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Unlike other engaged or married women who had thrown themselves at him despite their status, Anna showed zero interest in him. In fact, he got the distinct impression that she wasn't impressed with him at all. It was quite refreshing.

Ray's smile didn't drop in brightness but he did pull his fiancée a tad bit closer. "This is quite the party you threw together here," Ray commented.

"It's all Tommy's doing," Oliver said. "I'm surprised you came. This isn't the sort of thing an engaged couple usually comes to."

"It isn't?" Ray said genuinely confused. In the short few minutes that Oliver had been in Ray's company it seemed like the man had never known any hardships. He was blissfully unaware to all that went on around him. While he had felt threatened by Oliver, he hadn't realised that there were several men in the VIP section that were openly ogling Anna. Those were the men he needed to worry about.

"Ray thought it would be a good opportunity to meet you in a setting outside of business. He does a lot of work with MQI and the Mayor's office," Anna said stepping in to answer on behalf of her fiancé. He got the impression from the way she smoothly entered the conversation that she did that a lot for Ray.

"Yes I do. Your applied sciences division is doing some great work in developing robotics suits. I'm hoping some of the tech we use in our wearable devices can be used in the suits," Ray explained.

Oliver forced a tight smile on his face, "That's interesting but if you would excuse me, I would like to get a drink from the bar."

"Sure no problem," Ray said with a friendly smile.

As soon as Oliver walked passed him, he rolled his eyes. Talking tech was not something Oliver was ever interested in. He sure hoped he didn't have to sit in any meetings with Ray in the future.

**S-3**

On the way to the bar, he stole Tommy away from the Manager who was monopolising his friend's time. They had barely made it to the bar, when they were interrupted again.

"Well, well, well, the prodigal sons have finally returned to the party scene," a voice sneered behind them.

They turned around to find Max Fuller and Carter Bowen, two people they both disliked. Oliver immediately turned back to the bar and ordered two scotch, neat. He was going to need it if he had to interact with these two men.

"Max, Carter, how nice to see you," Oliver lied.

"What are you two up to these days?" Tommy asked trying to make casual conversation. Tommy was always the peacemaker.

Bowen lit up like a Christmas tree, "I'm a famous doctor. Just wrote my first bestseller. You should get it," he told them. Carter Bowen was always a sore point for Oliver. His parents used to compare him to Carter when he was younger and point out all of the academic accomplishments Carter had achieved at school. His mother kept pushing him to be more like Carter and it only served to make Oliver go in the opposite direction.

"The next step is my own talk show," Carter continued to boast.

"Medical talk shows?" Tommy said with a disgusted face, "Is that a thing now?"

"It's very much a thing," Carter said offended.

The scotch arrived and Oliver downed the first glass in one go. The familiar burn down his throat eased his irritation slightly. He signalled the bartender for another one.

"Just like sleeping with a man's fiancée is Oliver's thing," Max added sourly.

Oliver winced. Clearly, Max wasn't over that yet. Max used to be a part of Oliver's circle of friends until he slept with the woman Max wanted to marry at the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding. Max had walked in right as Oliver was gearing up for round two. It had been one of the more idiotic mistakes Oliver had made and it ended his friendship with Max. Though on reflection he was not upset about the actual end of the friendship, just the way he chose to end it. Much like with Laurel where he tried to sleep with Sara to avoid moving into an apartment with Laurel, he had chosen to sleep with Max's fiancée as a way to end his friendship with Max. The friendship had run its course and Oliver knew it. The only thing Max and him had in common was that they were both heirs. Other than that they shared zero interests.

Even though he had no interests in even being acquaintances with Max, Oliver decided to extend an olive branch. "I'm very sorry about that Max. It clearly wasn't a very sober moment," Oliver stated.

The anger on Max's face didn't dissipate and Tommy stepped in. "So what are you up to Max?" he asked.

"I run the most successful club in the city, Poison. Its three buildings down from here. You're not someone, until you've been to my club," Max boasted.

Oliver begged to differ. Going to a club didn't make you someone.

"We'll have to drop by sometime," Tommy said jovially.

Max's face turned sour again, "You could try but the bouncers are under strict instructions not to let you in."

"Oh well, your loss because as you can clearly see, it's not a party unless Tommy Merlyn is there," Tommy said with narrowed eyes.

"I would cut back on the alcohol Merlyn, clearly you've lost your tolerance for the stuff over the last five years if you think your presence makes a party," Max fired back.

Carter started shifting from foot to foot nervously. He was looking around frantically trying to decide what to do as the situation escalated.

Tommy stepped away from the bar closer to Max and looked him up and down, "You know if I were your fiancée I think would have slept with Oliver too. It was clearly an upgrade," Tommy spat.

Max's entire face contorted in rage and he tried to throw a punch at Tommy. Oliver picked up his glass of scotch from the bar and moved out of the way but poor Carter got glocked in the face as Tommy ducked and Max's fist flew through the air missing Tommy but connecting with Carter. Oliver smirked. He had always wanted to do that. He would settle for watching someone else do it for him. He got all of the benefits and none of the blame. The security arrived on the scene and Tommy played it off as if Carter and Max got into a fight with each other. Both men were escorted out. Max promised that they would pay for the embarrassment but Oliver brushed it aside. There was quite literally nothing Max could do to hurt him.

**S-4**

Tommy caught sight of Helena the moment she walked into the VIP area. The smirk she was wearing told him she saw the entire scene between him and Fuller. She was wearing a beautiful black cocktail dress that displayed a decent amount of cleavage. Plenty of heads were turning her way to check her out and Tommy didn't like that at all. She walked straight passed him, her shoulder brushing his arm slightly as she passed. He caught a whiff of that perfume she wore. He still had no idea what the hell it was. He really needed to get his game on. She sat at the end of the bar away from most of the people and ordered a drink. Tommy spotted at least five guys approaching the bar to sit next to her and his feet moved of its own volition.

"Hey," Tommy said shyly as he sat next to her beating the other men there. He didn't know if she wanted to talk to him after the disaster they had in the loft but he sure as hell didn't want to watch anyone else talk with her.

"Hello," Helena responded with a sly smile.

"I see you came," Tommy said lamely.

"You sound like you weren't sure if I would come," Helena pointed out.

"I wasn't," Tommy replied honestly.

"I suppose a man running out on you just before you're going to have sex is a bad sign for a relationship but considering the trauma you've been through, I decided to give you another chance. If all the stories I've heard about Tommy Merlyn's prowess in bed are true, then it should be worth it," Helena said as the bartender arrived with a rum and coke for her.

Tommy grinned at her, "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Absolutely nothing yet," she told him picking up her drink and knocking the whole thing back in one go. She slammed the glass down on the counter and asked the bartender for another one. "Please tell me you have something very interesting planned for this party," Helena asked.

"I do," Tommy said thinking about his plan to break into police station next door, "But first, let's dance."

"Dance?" she questioned.

He leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Yes I want to dance with you on the floor and let every man in here know that you're mine."

"Oh well when you put it like that, I'm all yours," she purred.

The VIP dance floor wasn't crowded. Tommy placed his hands low on her hips and she gave him a sultry smile. She turned around and began to grind her ass against him to the beat of the music. His reaction was immediate and from the sly smile she through over her shoulder at him, she knew it too. His hands tightened on her hips and his own hips moved to her pace. He very much liked the feel of her body against his but he knew from prior experience that this type of distraction before a mission wasn't good. If the let things get out of control, there was no way he was breaking into the police station next door.

He leaned down to whispered in her ear, "I changed my mind. Let's take this back to the loft. I just need to wrap up a few things with the Manager and I'll meet you out front in twenty minutes."

"How about I meet you there? I have a few things I should pick up on the way in preparation," she said licking her lips. "Hopefully this time you don't have any performance issues," she teased.

"So that' what we're calling it," Tommy replied.

She smirked, "Until you prove otherwise."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the key to the loft, glad that he had decided to walk with it. "In case you reach before me," he said handing her the key.

She reached up on her toes and kissed him. It wasn't a soft sensual kiss quite the opposite. She demanded what she wanted. Her tongue invaded his mouth and he let her dominate him. Things would be quite different when he got to the loft though.

"Twenty minutes Mr. Merlyn," she said when she pulled away from him.

He watched her walked away with a dopey smile on his face. Performance issues, he would definitely prove her wrong about that. Even though he had not slept with anyone since Mariko, he knew he was still very much a stallion in bed. His fists automatically clenched as he thought about Mariko. Ravager was still out there.

He forced himself to calm down and walk away. When he was at the centre earlier in the week he had excused himself from a meeting with the manager to use the men's room. He ducked into a storage closet and placed a bag with all the gear he needed in the ceiling. The staff hadn't even realised that he had come with a bag but was leaving without it.

He climbed up the shelves in the storage room, raised the ceiling tile and pulled the bag down. As he had expected no one had found it. He quickly changed his clothes. He needed to wrap up this mission in fifteen minutes so that he could get back to the loft to Helena.

**S-5**

**Flashback – 2 and a half years after the Gambit sank**

Tommy collapsed on the sofa in the hospital ward and begged sleep to take him even though he had about four hours of studying to do with Mariko. He had never been so physically exhausted in his life. Every muscle in his body hurt, hell it hurt to even open his eyes. Tommy was placing the blame for his physical state squarely on Oliver. His best friend had gone to Starling City on a mission for ARGUS with Tatsu's husband, Maseo, and Tatsu was not pleased. Tommy made the mistake of telling her she was sexually frustrated and she took her anger out on him.

Tommy had been reaching to the point where he felt like he could hold his own against her. She no longer tagged him easily but after he pissed her off, he came to the unfortunate realisation that his teacher had been holding back. Instead of starting with light warmups and practicing different routines, she attacked him right away, forcing him to start off with a sparring session. She wiped the floor with his ass several times even leaving a large gash on his arm that he was sure required stitches. She then made him practice the basic stances and routines. With the gash on his arm and the bruises all over his body it was difficult to hold even one stance properly but Tatsu demanded perfection from him. Every stance, every technique had to be perfectly executed. She insisted that superior technique could be the deciding factor in a fight and being injured was even more reason to make sure you maintained proper technique.

In the last few months, Tommy had begun to fantasize that he was the star in his own Samurai Movie. He was the hero and Tatsu was the old sage that taught the handsome young student except Tatsu was probably his age. He estimated that he was about three quarters of the way through the movie. He imagined the script had certain scenes that had to be completed and there was a box to check next to each scene. He had checked off the rush training box, the completion of impossible challenges box and the increase in confidence box. The next boxes were the surpassing of the master, which after today he realised might never happen and then the box to face off against the big bad of the movie.

Two days ago Tatsu had revealed to him that he had a month of training left. In 28 days he would be shipped off to the island with no means of communication. The competition was two weeks long and at the end of it they expected him to have captured Ravager. He would be given a date, time and location for when his ARGUS transport would pick him up. Tatsu had started teaching him some tactics that the Yakuza used since he was bound to come across a few of them from the different clans. Mariko was going to be handling the analysis of Ravager.

Once his debt to ARGUS was paid, he was going home. He was looking forward to it. He wondered how Oliver was managing being in Starling City and not able to visit his family. Tommy wasn't going back for his father, no he was going back because Starling City was his home and he realised how blessed he had been. There was so much good he could do with the blessings he had been given and he was determined to do that. In a way, he felt closer to his mother now than he ever had before. His hardship had brought an understanding of why his mother felt compelled to give back to the people of The Glades even though it was dangerous and ultimately cost her, her life.

He felt a soft hand on his arm and he knew it was Mariko. He didn't even try to open his eyes.

"I'm going to stitch you up. This will probably hurt," she said as he felt her rolling up the sleeve of his shirt for her to get better access to the cut on his arm.

"Don't you have anaesthetic?" he asked. Damn even his mouth hurt.

"You won't have that on the island," she reminded him in a soft tone.

He felt the needle point sink into his flesh and he forced himself to remain still, not that his muscles were willing to move anyway. The old Tommy Merlyn would be crying like a baby; his current self didn't even have the urge to cry. He counted each time he felt the needle go through his flesh. The stitching did hurt but Tommy discovered he could control the pain.

"There all done," she said as her clothes rustled when she moved away from him. He realised she was dressed in her usual kimono. "Did you read the book I left with you yesterday?" she asked from across the room.

"I started," Tommy replied. "You know my Literature teachers would be very jealous of you. I never read a single book for them yet for you I've read five books cover to cover."

"Ah but you haven't done that for me Tommy. You've done that for yourself. You did that to educate yourself to improve your chances of victory in your upcoming trials," she responded. Her voice slowly started getting louder and he realised that she was walking back towards him.

Tommy wanted to laugh. It was more like he was forced to do that for himself. Tommy Merlyn would never have willing picked up a book about psychology in his life, unless it helped him pick up a girl, and well, he never needed help doing that before.

"Mariko, I know the clock is ticking but can we skip today's lesson. I don't think I can focus on anything," he pleaded.

"Really," he heard her say. He knew she was now seated directly opposite him. "Tommy open your eyes."

"Do I have to?" Tommy groaned.

"I understand that the sense of hearing is important but it isn't quite relevant to the lesson tonight," she said.

Tommy reluctantly forced his eyes open to stare at the bright fluorescent light overhead. He turned his head away to focus on Mariko. She wore a beautiful light purple Kimono with darker purple stitching outlining the scene displayed on her kimono. He wasn't quite sure what the scene was but it could have been a valley. He raised his gaze to find her watching him with a soft smile on her face. She was always so beautiful. She bent forward and kissed him softly on the lips. He was completely caught by surprise. She pulled away far too soon for his liking.

"Your homework for tonight, was the kiss real?" she said before walking away to the door and leaving.

Tommy stared at the closed door. Was the kiss real? What the hell did that mean? Of course it was real. He felt her lips on his so he didn't imagine it and this definitely wasn't a dream. He wasn't crazy. He knew reality from fantasy. Maybe she was asking him if she meant it; if she wanted to kiss him or if she was just kissing him to fool him. How the hell was he supposed to get any sleep now! On the bright side, he could finally check the romance box on his movie script. Mariko had just taken up the role of love interest.

**S-6**

Since Tommy zeroed in on Helena Bertinelli and ditched him, Oliver looked around the VIP area to see if there was anyone else he recognised. He had no clue what Tommy had planned for the night or when his brother was going to break into the police station next door but he knew he needed to find something to do. It would not look good to sit at the bar and mope for the entire party. He was still supposed to be the charismatic billionaire and he really should try to find a girl to leave the party with. It was clear Tommy would be leaving with Helena.

He spotted Laurel and her husband as the bouncers let them into the VIP section. He hadn't thought they would come. He was surprised when they made a beeline for him. Though they could just be going to the bar since Oliver was seated in front of it. As usual Laurel was absolutely gorgeous in her red tube dress. It reminded Oliver of everything he could have had, but foolishly gave up.

"Hello Laurel, it is nice of you to come," he said politely. He didn't make any attempt to touch her and tried to keep the fond affection he felt for her off his face. He knew her husband was watching the interaction closely.

"Oliver, this is Adam, my husband," she introduced not bothering to acknowledge his greeting.

"Great to meet you," Oliver said shaking his hand lightly. He had the strong urge to squeeze the hell out of the man's hand but he resisted.

"I finally get to meet the great Oliver Queen," Adam declared. Oliver thought he heard a bit of hostility in his voice.

"Can I get you two anything to drink?" Oliver asked motioning to the bar behind him.

"I'll have a scotch and Laurel will have some bottled water," Adam instructed.

Oliver turned to the bartender and ordered two scotch and a bottled water. While they waited for their drinks the conversation shifted to Tommy.

"I see he hasn't lost his ability to be interested in anything in a dress no matter her decency," Laurel criticized.

Oliver frowned at the disapproval in Laurel's tone.

"He didn't pick her up here. They are kind of together," Oliver said. He knew they were both interested in each other but they hadn't labelled their relationship yet.

Laurel and Donner both recoiled in shock and disgust.

"Certainly Malcolm hasn't approved of this. He knows what she is," Donner declared.

Oliver frowned, "What is she?" Sure Oliver knew she was the daughter of the Italian mob boss but he wasn't supposed to know that information.

"A woman unworthy of dating Malcolm's son," Adam replied firmly.

"The way you keep mentioning Malcolm's name it sounds like you are great friends with him," Oliver probed.

"I am. He's one of Star City's most respected citizens," Adam boasted.

Oliver smiled tightly, he had a very different opinion of Malcolm. "Guess there must be a reason you never dropped by the mansion to share a drink with him like everyone else," Oliver fired back. Oliver had stretched the truth a little bit. The only people he ever saw having a drink at home with Malcolm were his mother and Walter, no one else. Donner had just been rubbing him the wrong way and he really wanted to take the man down a peg or two.

The bartender returned with their drinks stalling their conversation. Oliver handed Donner his scotch and Laurel her bottled water with a straw.

"I suppose you're still the designated driver," Oliver commented fondly to Laurel. When Laurel was with him and Tommy, she was always the one to remain sober and drive them home. He saw a flash of guilt cross her face which tipped him off that something big was about to happen.

Donner looked proud, "As you're a very old _**friend**_ of Laurel's," Donner started making sure to emphasize that Oliver was only a friend, "We'll tell you."

Laurel interrupted her husband immediately, the panic in her voice and face was clear to Oliver, "Baby, we agreed to wait a little longer."

Donner smirked at Oliver, "I think now is a great moment. We're pregnant. Laurel is due in June. A honeymoon baby." The smug vibe was coming off of Donner in strong waves.

It took all of Oliver's self-control not to react badly. He forced a happy smile onto his face and offered his hand to Donner first, "Congratulations." This time when Donner shook it Oliver applied extra pressure. He took a perverse sense of pleasure from watching Donner squirm. Then to aggravate the man further, he pulled Laurel into a hug, "Congratulations," he whispered softly in her hear. He kissed her on her check lingering for a few seconds longer than required before he pulled away.

Laurel would be a good mother. He and she were clearly at two different points in their lives. She was ready for a family and Oliver wasn't even sure if he was capable of being in a committed relationship. It was probably for the best that Laurel had moved on. He would only infect her with his darkness.

Donner was predictably angry at Oliver's display and the man looked like he was going to blow a gasket. Oliver didn't give a shit about Laurel's husband. He spotted Sara standing at the entrance to the VIP section telling the bouncers that she was a close friend of Oliver's and Tommy's but the bouncer refused to let her in. She presented the perfect excuse to leave the conversation without looking like a bitter ex.

"I think I see Sara," Oliver started to say with a smile but he noticed Laurel frown right away.

"Who let those rats in?" Donner asked in a caustic tone as he turned to look at the entrance to the VIP section.

Oliver was completely taken aback. Sara had told him things were bad but he hadn't expected that. He turned a deadly glare at Donner, "Tommy and I invited her and Ted," he said before looking at Laurel. "She's your sister Laurel."

"She stopped being my sister when she chose that side," Laurel snapped. All the previous beauty that Oliver saw in her evaporated.

"Side? What side?" Oliver asked. "Trust me Laurel, I spent five years missing my sister and I'm happy to have her back. You don't want to wait until your sister is gone to wish she was here with you. Whatever the problem is, it's not worth it," Oliver told her before walking away and heading over to the bouncer to let Sara and Ted in.

"It's ok, you can let them in," Oliver said to the bouncer.

"I'm sorry sir, I can't do that," the man replied.

"Excuse me?" Oliver growled. How dare he tell him that he can't invite his friends into the VIP section of a party that he is responsible for?

"Look if this is going to be a problem, Sara and I can leave," Ted offered.

Oliver looked fiercely at Ted, "No, the two of you are actually my friends, unlike three quarter of the people behind me. Tommy and I are paying for this event. If you we want you in the VIP section, you should be allowed in the VIP section."

"I'm sorry sir, I can't let them in without bands," the guard further explained. The guard really did look sorry and Oliver realised that the man was just following orders. He knew from ARGUS what following orders was like and what happened when you disobeyed a direct order.

"Where can I get bands?" Oliver asked.

"Front entrance the hostess, her name is Melanie," the guard answered immediately.

Oliver turned to Sara and Ted, "I'm sorry about this. We probably should have asked about the VIP entrance and put your names on the list. It's been a while since we had a party like this. I don't think Tommy was even aware there was going to be a VIP section. I'll sort this out. Just wait here for me."

**S-7**

Oliver was very angry but as much as he wanted to believe that it was the VIP issue that was causing the current rage he felt he knew it wasn't that. It was time to be honest with himself. Whenever Tommy had encouraged him that there was still a chance with Laurel despite her engagement, he always brushed it off as there being no hope but he had secretly wanted Tommy to be right. He had been fantasizing about Laurel waking up one morning, deciding her husband was not worthy of her and coming to him to try again. It was sick. He knew it was but it was how he felt. He had survived a great deal of his ordeal by focusing on Laurel and getting back to Laurel. That had been his motivator.

It was time to put Laurel and his romantic relationship with Laurel in the past where it belonged. It was no longer a possibility. She had a husband and a child on the way and he would not be responsible for breaking up another family. That was Ollie Queen, not him. He had grown and matured and he was determined to prove that. The idea of him and Laurel was no longer feasible and he needed to move forward.

He was so lost in thought as he pushed his way through the crowd, he accidentally spilt a drink on someone.

"I'm terribly sorry," Oliver apologised. "I'll get you a new one."

"Is that the new pick up line Ollie," the woman asked.

He hadn't really looked at her, just the stain that was forming on the pink top she wore but she called him Ollie in a tone that implied she knew him. He raised his gaze from the stain, passed the low neckline of the top, up the column of her neck to her face.

"Hello stranger," she said with a smile.

"McKenna Hall," Oliver said his voice awed, "When Tommy said you had changed, he wasn't lying."

She smiled at him, "I take it you like what you see then," she teased

"I do," Oliver admitted. He had just been thinking of moving on and the perfect opportunity presented itself. "Do you want to come to the VIP section?"

"Sure I would love to but my top," she said looking down at it.

"I'm sure it will wash out. I'm on my way to get the VIP bands, why don't you go freshen up and meet me at the VIP entrance," he offered.

"You sure it will be ok," McKenna asked hesitantly.

"It's my party, it will be fine," Oliver assured her.

"Ok," she said smiling sweetly, "I'll see you there in a few minutes.

She turned to walk away from him and Oliver admired the view. It would certainly be good for his image to leave the party with someone like McKenna but first he needed to get those bands.

Oliver found the woman he was looking for near the entrance, a pile of bands in her hand as she greeted the women streaming into the centre.

"Excuse me Melanie?" he asked.

The women turned with a look of surprise on her face. "Mr Queen, what can I help you with?" she asked.

"Can you give me those VIP bands?" he asked his hand reaching out to take the bands from her.

"Why," she said confused as she took a distinct step away from him.

"I would like all the bands," Oliver answered taking a step towards her.

"I can't do that Mr. Queen. I am supposed to give the bands to specific people," she said. "I have a list," she said handing him a clipboard that was in her other hand.

Oliver took the list and scanned the top half of the list of names.

_Malcolm Merlyn            Adam Donner               Isabel Rochev + 1                Helena Bertinelli_

_Tommy Merlyn           Laurel Donner                     Simon Morrison + 1          Adam Hunt +1_

_Thea Merlyn + 4        Constantine Drakon +1       Sebastian Blood + 1          Amanda Chen +3_

_Oliver Queen           Max Fuller +1                       Carter Bowen +1              Andy Diggle +1_

Most of those people were not his friends.

"Listen, this is my party if I ask for the bands I want the bands. Don't make me stop the party and blame it on the convention centre staff. I am sure your boss won't like that," Oliver threatened.

The woman visibly gulped before she reluctantly handed him the bands.

"Thank you," Oliver said taking the bands and heading back to the VIP section. First he had to get passed the group of girls that was eyeing him like a piece of meat.

**S-8**

Three days ago Sara had been teaching a group of girls how to defend themselves against attackers when Tommy appeared in the gym. He stood off to the side hesitantly watching her. Ted had a few of the boxers he was training running a few blocks so she was the only trainer in the gym at the time. She smirked mischievously at Tommy and asked him to help her teach the girls. She then proceeded to use him as a guinea pig for the girls to practice on. She was surprised he took the abuse well but then he had been stuck on a deserted island for five years. It must have hardened him.

At the end of the class a slightly battered Tommy, invited her and Ted to his welcome home party. That night she and Ted had a pretty big fight about it. Ted did not want to go to the party. He felt as symbols for the fight for the Glades, being seen at a party such as that would send the wrong message. There fellow neighbours in the Glades might think that they sold out but Sara insisted it was just a party that two friends had invited her to. They debated it for three days but eventually Ted compromised.

"We don't belong in VIP and we don't belong here," Ted said starting up the argument again.

"Why?" Sara countered fiercely, "There is nothing different between them and us. We fight for equality in The Glades. You can't come here and tell me we are not equal to them," Sara said chucking her thumb in the direction of the high rollers in the VIP section. "If Oliver wants to invite us into the area that's reserved for his friends then we will gladly accept. It shows we **ARE** equal. Furthermore it proves that Oliver and Tommy are nothing like Malcolm and the rest of his henchmen that try to buyout The Glades!" Sara argued.

"I think you husband is right," a voice Sara instantly recognised said.

Ted grabbed her hand and squeezed it for support. She whispered softly to him that she was fine. She could handle this. Sara turned to face the speaker, "Laurel, considering all the nonsense your husband regularly spouts and you think Donner's right all the time, you thinking that Ted is right at the moment just proves that Ted is wrong."

"My husband only tells the truth. You're too blinded by _him_ ," Laurel said nodding to Ted, "to know any better."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing to you!" Sara fired back. "You don't live in The Glades and you don't visit The Glades so please stop pretending to know anything about The Glades and the people that live there."

Laurel's lips curled in disgust, "Dad is so ashamed of you."

Sara kept calm. Whenever Laurel wanted to be mean she would throw their father's disapproval of Sara's current choices in her face. Sara used to be his favourite until she joined the movement in The Glades.

"When you see him, please tell him the feeling is mutual!" Sara replied. She didn't mean a word of it but she didn't want Laurel to think she had hurt her.

"Let's get going Laurel. This isn't good for the baby," Donner said tugging on her arm to get going.

"Baby?" Sara repeated momentarily stunned.

"Yes," Laurel said with a proud smirk, "We are expecting."

The smirk on Laurel's face knocked Sara back to her senses, "Poor kid."

"Is everything ok," Oliver said as he emerged from the crowd. Sara noticed he had returned with all of the VIP bands, not just two for them.

"Yeah everything is fine. Laurel and Idiot were just leaving," Sara said cocking her head slightly in her sister's direction.

"Next time Queen, you need to stop the trash from invading your party," Donner said as he pulled Laurel away.

Sara swore she heard Oliver mumble something about ensuring Donner stayed out next time before he turned a disappointed gaze at her.

"Ollie, I warned you things between us were bad," Sara said defending herself.

"She's still your sister," Oliver replied.

"She hasn't been my sister since she joined that fancy law firm of hers," Sara explained.

"Sara, I didn't realise how much I truly missed Thea until she was back in my life. A sister is something precious. No matter who Laurel marries or what she does, she will always be your sister and that bond will always be there no matter how much the two of you decide to destroy it," he said solemnly to her. He then decided to move the topic along to something more pleasant, "Here," he said handing them two VIP bands, "This will allow you entry and you can order anything you want. It's on my tab."

"We don't need your charity," Ted said with a frown.

Sara grabbed the bands and put one on her husband's hand first.

"It's ok Ted. Oliver isn't giving us because its charity. He's always been like this. When you party with a Queen or Merlyn, they pay for everything," she explained to him. She and Laurel had never paid for a thing when Oliver and Tommy were around.

"Then why isn't it free drinks for everyone?" Ted questioned looking at the band with disgust.

"Oh it used to be but I have since come to a better understanding of who my friends truly are," Oliver told him.

"Is that why you have all the VIP bands?" Sara asked curiously.

"Yes," Oliver said looking around for Tommy. "Did you see Tommy leave? He was with Helena on the dance floor a moment ago?"

"Helena?" Sara arched an eyebrow, "You actually know a girl's name."

"Of course I know her name. She's his girlfriend so I kind of have to know her name," Oliver admitted.

"Helena wouldn't be Helena Bertinelli would it?" Ted asked. "She passed us while we were talking to Laurel."

"Yes that Helena," Oliver admitted.

"Tommy is seeing Helena Bertinelli?" Sara asked concerned.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Oliver asked dumbly.

"He needs to be careful," Ted said his voice full with concern. "Rumours on the street say she tried to kill her father. That's why he sent her to Dr. Kreukis and I'm guessing that was where they met isn't it?" Ted said with a knowing look.

"It might have been," Oliver admitted. Ted was a very observant guy. Oliver liked that.

McKenna appeared next to him and he handed her a band.

"Let's not stand up out here and talk. Come on in," Oliver said to them.

**S-9**

For a city that prided itself on security, the police station was embarrassingly easy to break into. The Convention centre was one story taller than the police station and Tommy easily zipped line from the roof of the convention centre onto the top of the police station. There were no security measures anywhere on the roof and the roof access door was actually unlocked. It allowed Tommy to just stroll into the building. There's wasn't even a camera anywhere on the second floor.

The second floor was used as a large filing room for reports. All closed cases were filed there. As he suspected the door to get in was security protected but the badge he had swiped off of McKenna earlier in the week should get into the room. He opened the door and was faced with rows and rows of files. Each file was labelled with a number but not what the file was about. He needed to find the file number on the report for the fire from the Glades.

On a desk near the entrance there were large black ring folders. He hoped that was some sort of index for the filing system. He opened the first one and it was dated ten years before. He realised he needed the one for the year of the fire. He eventually found that folder and started scanning quickly through it but didn't find any mention of the report. Perhaps the report was filed in the following year after the investigations were completed? He scanned through the next year but didn't find anything either. It wasn't until he was half way into the second year after the fire that he found a reference to the report. The number was 5632-43281. That number seemed so random. Did they even have a system to filing things?

It took him 10 minutes to find the files that started with 5632 and another 10 minutes to find 5632-43280 and 5632-43282. Where was the report? It would take forever to comb through all the files in the room if it were misplaced. He was supposed to be meeting Helena back at his loft and she was probably already there. He couldn't stand her up again but it didn't feel right leaving the police station without the report. He pulled out his phone and sent her a quick message letting her know, that the meeting with the manager was going a little longer than thought and he needed another twenty minutes. He decided to try and venture downstairs. Perhaps he could pull up a soft copy of the report on the system.

At that time of night the station was practically empty. The few officers that were there were either busy dealing with crazies out front or playing candy crush on their phones. He hoped that he could find a computer terminal that an officer didn't log out from before they left work but that didn't happen. It seemed the officers at least followed protocol. His only alternative was to come up with a distraction to pull officers quickly away from terminals they were at.

He needed a distraction that would garner significant attention but not reveal his presence in the station. He entered the men's room on the ground floor and used his sword to break the plumbing to the toilet. He moved quickly away as the water started to gush out. It shouldn't take long before it attracted attention. He set himself up behind a row of filing cabinets that was used as a partition to separate the bullpen from the main offices.

He waited another ten minutes before someone actually noticed the large volume of water that was pouring out of the bathroom. Seriously, how did these offers do their jobs? The criminals could probably walk right passed them with AK 47s in their hands and they wouldn't notice. When an officer rushed away from a terminal to attend the shouts of his colleagues, Tommy sprang into action, jumping over the filing cabinets and ducking behind the terminal. He was searching the database for the report when he was interrupted.

"Hey," a beat cop called out.

Oh, now they notice him, right as the computer came up with a result on the search screen. Tommy held up his hands and let the man come towards him while he read the screen. The file he was looking for didn't exist. When the cop was close enough he grabbed the gun, turned the man's hand around and knocked him out before the cop even realised what was happening. He hid the man under the desk and hoped it would take them a good twenty minutes before anyone noticed the unconscious officer.

He made his way quickly to the roof. He looked over at the party which was still raging. He could see through the glass walls of the convention centre that Oliver was dancing rather closely with McKenna. A smile tugged at his face. Oliver was finally taking his advice. He made a mental note to keep a close eye on the development of that relationship. It was an important step for Oliver in achieving his goal of moving away from the darkness and into the light.

Tommy glanced at the line in front of the centre and saw his father getting out of a limo right behind Thea who rushed inside with her security detail following behind her. Tommy tilted his head in confusion. Thea wasn't supposed to come to this party. What was his father doing? Anger swelled inside of him. The man was an asshole. He pulled a throwing star from his vest and took aim at his father. He planned on just causing a small cut on his forearm for being a dick.

He watched his father's movements carefully and timed the shot perfectly so that the star would slice his father's upper arm and land in the concrete behind him but the unexpected happened. Somehow his father saw it and blocked it with something, sending the star into a random girl in the crowd. Tommy was stunned. How the fuck did his father do that?

The security outside the convention centre turned their weapons on the building and Tommy had to recede into the shadows. He ran to the other side of the roof and down the fire escape. He made his way to the back entrance of the convention centre, pick the lock on the back door and headed quickly to the closet where he had his stuff. As soon as he emerged from the corridor into the VIP section, Thea's security detail was pulling him out of the building.

**S-10**

Tommy was still kind of dazed as he was dragged out of the club. He heard the sirens of an ambulance in the distance and he saw a few police officers attending to the girl that had the star firmly embedded in her abdomen. She was going into shock and the police men were trying to stop that. Tommy swallowed hard. He hadn't intended for her to get hurt. He was hustled into the limo where Thea was seated next to Malcolm with her arms angrily crossed in front of her. Oliver clearly disapproved of what was happening. His brother would have known the minute he saw the girl that it was Tommy's throwing star in her abdomen.

"This isn't fair! I just arrived!" Thea complained. "I barely got to say hello to any of my friends before I was being pulled away. We didn't even make it into the VIP section. My brothers' own party and Thea Queen didn't even make a proper entrance."

"I was attacked Thea. An assassin threw a throwing star at me," Malcolm said seriously. "It was a major security risk to remain at the club."

"Throwing star? You mean like what they have in kung fu movies? Those are real?" Oliver asked dumbly but his accusing eyes sought out Tommy.

Tommy knew this was all his fault. If he hadn't given into temptation to hurt his father this wouldn't have happened.

"Yes Oliver," Malcolm sneered. "I am upping the security at the Mansion and each of you is going to get a personal bodyguard until this assassin is caught."

"Bodyguard!" Oliver protested. "I doubt that's necessary. I really don't need a babysitter."

"This isn't up for discussion," Malcolm said.

Tommy just sat their dumbly. He was still thinking of the innocent girl that had come to his party to enjoy the night but was now fighting for her life.

"About time, I thought I was the only one that had to put up with security shadowing her every day," Thea said.

"Thea you should remember that your mother also has a security detail. I should inform them what has happened in case there is an attack against her as well." Malcolm pulled out his phone and started barking instructions into it.

Tommy turned to stare out the window. He couldn't bring himself to meet his brother's eyes. He knew he messed up. He just made their jobs infinitely harder. He felt a buzz in his pocket and realised his phone had received a message. Helena! He had forgotten about her. He pulled out the phone.

_Are you alright? The attack is all over the news._

At least she wasn't pissed at him. He typed out a quick message to her explaining that Malcolm had ordered them all back to the Mansion and he didn't think there was any way they could meet up that night. He apologised profusely and begged her not to let this incident affect their relationship. Her response was teasing and playful reminding him that he had yet to disabuse her of the notion that he suffered from performance issues. He wanted to smile at the response but he couldn't. He was disappointed with himself.

They arrived at the mansion to find Moira outside waiting for them with a few guards. Thea was out of the limo first followed by Tommy, Oliver and then Malcolm.

"Thea are you ok?" Moira asked concerned as she looked over her daughter.

"I'm fine mom," Thea said angrily pushing past her to head inside. Not for the first time, Tommy wondered what was going on there.

"We are all ok mom," Oliver said hugging her. Moira closed her eyes and tightened the hug.

"I can't lose you again," she said to him.

"You won't mom," he reassured her.

Tommy felt like an intruder in the mother-son moment. He could barely remember the last time his mother hugged him.

"Moira I've already talked to the security company. Starting tomorrow morning both Oliver and Tommy will have a bodyguard," Malcolm explained to her.

She nodded her head in agreement. Tommy figured he should at least try to protest.

"Oliver and I can take care of ourselves. We survived a deserted island," Tommy pointed out.

"Yes and did that deserted island have gun toting idiots and people throwing weapons at you?" Malcolm asked rhetorically.

Both boys remained silent.

"That is exactly what I thought," Malcolm said coming to the wrong conclusion. "I expect you down at 7:00am to meet your bodyguards. End of discussion."

Malcolm walked passed them into the mansion and Tommy decided to follow suit and head straight to his room. He really didn't want the lecture he knew he was going to get from Oliver. He would deal with the world tomorrow. Tonight he just wanted to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling while he waited for sleep to take him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.


	8. Enter the Babysitters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Arrow. We start off this chapter a little bit differently with Helena's PoV. This gives you a bit of insight into who she is and where she's at mentally.

For the first time in a long time Helena was looking forward to reading the morning paper. She sat down at the breakfast table and asked the housekeeper for scrambled eggs and bacon as well as the morning paper. Her father's security detail were clearly surprised to see her. She hadn't had breakfast with her father since **HE** died. **HE** had been dead over a year and she still couldn't say his name. It was too painful. She had been so happy, so ready to move on and live a happy life. She had even fantasied about a small house with a white picket fence and two children running around in the front yard with three dogs and a rabbit. They were going to move far away from Star City, to a place where no one knew the Bertinelli name.

In fear that her father would never let her leave this life behind her, she collected evidence on his operations to turn into the FBI but her father found out and thought it was her fiancé who was going to turn him in. The day **HE** died was the day she died. The happy cheerful Helena was replaced with an angry bitter shell of a person who had one goal in life, to bring, her father, Frank Bertinelli to his wanted to make Frank suffer before she looked into his eyes and let him know that she was the one, she was the avenging angel that ruined his life.

She still wore the cross **HE** gave her around her neck every day. It was fitting that it was a cross because avenging his death was her cross to carry for life. Her naivety was the reason that **HE** was killed. It was her fault, it was all her fault. She was determined not to make the same mistakes again. She would never let Frank hold the upper hand over her again.

The maid finallyreturned with the morning paper, which she probably had to fetch from Frank's study. Breakfast would be a few more minutes but that didn't both her. It was the paper she really wanted. She was disappointed that the front news headline was the incident at Tommy's party last night. On the second page was the latest update about Dr. Kreukis and other shrinks writing about patient confidentiality. None of that interested her. On the top of the third page was information about a Martin Summer's whose body had been found the day before and then right at the bottom of that page was what she was looking for, the assassination of Paul Copani. It was a short article but Helena took pleasure in reading it.

_Paul Copani was shot to death by an unknown assailant at approximately 10:15pm. He was found slumped on the steering wheel of his car with a bullet through the back of his head. It is unclear how the suspect gained access to his car or why someone would want Mr. Copanidead._

Helena snorted. Whatever deal it was her father had made with that group had kept members of his organisation from being identified it was certainly working. They portrayed him as an innocent victim when he was anything but. He had been the man to execute her fiancé. Her plan was to start with the man that pulled the trigger and end with the man that gave the order. She had been planning Copani's execution for months.

Oddly it was the sessions with Dr. Kreukis that had given her the ability to focus her anger on a plan and think clearly. She was a horrendous mess when her fiancé died and in hindsight picking up the steak knife at the dinner table and attacking her father had not been very bright butshe just couldn't sit there and watch him eat with that smug grin on his face when her fiancé had died three hours earlier. Frank had ordered his men to drag her from the hospital where **HE** died back to their mansion and he didn't care if she was kicking and screaming while they did it. Frank didn't even allow her to go to the funeral because he had labelled her fiancé a traitor.

After she learned to control her anger, she started spending time at their villa in Sicily where she met people who taught her some basic fighting techniques. She was only allowed to be in Sicily for two weeks at a time because insisted she had to keep up her treatment with him so her training was limited but it was enough for her to start her plan.

She ditched her security one day and went into the Glades and bought a gun. She then paid the people who sold it to her to teach her to shoot it. She picked up shooting rather quickly. Her hand was steady and her aim was true. She took the first big step last night killing Copani after he entered his car. It hadn't been hard to pull the trigger. She had been imaging it during her sessions with . The hardest part of her plan was sitting back and seeing how her father responded to the execution. She wanted to gloat in his facebut that would ruin her plan. She needed to keep a tight control of her emotions until the day she put her gun to Frank's head. Then she would be able to let it all out and tell him how she planned his downfall.

She closed the paper, folded it in half and placed it on the table. The headline about the incident at Tommy's party caught her attention. She had no idea what she was doing with Tommy. When she first saw him he wasn't what she expected. Sure he had that playful playboy attitude but there was something in his eyes that she recognised. She saw the same sense of loss, hurt and anger in him. Tommy Merlyn's mannerisms and tones may indicate one thing but his eyes told her an entirely different story.

That night of his performance issue he had retreated somewhere in his mind when she started tracing the scars she felt on his had been there in the moment one second and then in his memories the next. The way his face blanched and twisted in pain told that those scars were the physical evidence of a deep emotional pain. She hadn't meant to trigger him. She often had episodes like that where she was in the present one moment and then back in the happy past with her fiancé. She knew she couldn't hold it against him and she decided not to. Hence her attending his party last night.

She knew he had a darkness inside of him similar to hers. She knew that was what drew her to him. There would be no need to pretend she was an innocent socialite. She could be her biter, jaded self. She hadn't felt physical pleasure in over a year. There was something about Tommy Merlyn that set her libido on fire. He just seemed to connect with her but it seemed she would have to wait a little while longer before would find out if it was possible to have pleasure again or if **HE** had ruined her for life.

She hadn't involved anyone in her life for fear her father would take them away too but she knew she was safe with Tommy. She had seen her father interact with Malcolm Merlyn and she always got the impression that he was a person her father did not want to would therefore be safe from Frank's machinations and she could have some sort of freedom again.

**S-2**

Oliver awoke before sunrise Sunday morning and started his daily exercise routine in his room. He had a few weights under the bed to add a challenge to his routine. He started with a few stretches before doing pushups, and a few body resistance exercises that built your core, not that he needed to build anything in that area. He had a pull up bar installed in the entranceway to his personal bathroom and he did his chin ups. Once the sun started to rise, Oliver had his bath and dressed for the day. Oliver's plans for the day had consisted of taking another drive through the city into the Glades but after Tommy's mistake last night, they had to contend with a new problem, bodyguards.

At 6:59am, Oliver reported to the breakfast room as requested by Malcolm. His step father's rules could be very annoying at times but in a way he understood the discipline he was trying to impose on them. They had been completely out of control before the _Gambit_ went down. What Oliver didn't like was that Malcolm hadn't realised that both he and Tommy had changed and were responsible adults. Malcolm didn't need to treat them like they would cause an international disaster at any moment. He and Tommy were perfectly capable of being outstanding citizens in Star City.

He heard footsteps approaching and Malcolm, his mom and two gentlemen addressed in suits arrived. Oliver glanced down at his watch to see that the time was 7:00am. At least Malcolm stuck to his own rules.

"Where is Tommy?" Malcolm demanded.

"I believe he isn't feeling well," Oliver lied smoothly. "I think the incident last night shook him," Oliver added. That part he knew was true. Tommy had gone straight to his room and locked himself in there. There had been no consultation about the bodyguard complication so Oliver concluded that Tommy wanted to avoid him. That wasn't a problem. Oliver knew Tommy would eventually bounce back once he had time to properly process what had happened last night. It made no sense pushing Tommy too early. If he did that then he wouldn't get satisfactory answers to his questions, like how the hell did Tommy miss? He understood the urge to hit Malcolm because there were days he wanted to shoot an arrow into the man's shoulder but he controlled himself. Tommy's self-control had been known to crack occasionally. Amanda Waller had already sent both of them a warning letter based on the events of the previous night. He doubted Tommy even looked at it. Lyla sent a request to meet with them at the construction site of the community centre. Oliver had confirmed but Tommy had yet to respond.

Oliver closely studied the two men standing with Malcolm. Besides the obvious colour difference in the men's skin tones,one was taller and bigger than the other. Based on the haircut and the stance of the taller one, Oliver assumed he was military trained. The shorter, fairer man didn't hold himself as rigidly and appeared easier going with his suit jacket open. There were no weapons on display but Oliver knew that didn't mean he wasn't armed. Most people would probably glance at him and assume he was just another businessman, not a trained bodyguard.

"Oliver this is Mr. John Diggle," his mother said introducing him to the taller bodyguard."His younger brother Andy runs the company that provides security here at the mansion and MQI. He will be your personal bodyguard," Moira said. "When he is not with you, you will have a general security detail."

Mr. Digglesmiled pleasantly at him and offered him his hand to shake. Oliver accepted it, pretending he had a weak grip. Mr. Diggle didn't try to grip his hand harder; he just matched the strength that Oliver put into the handshake.

"So you're my babysitter," Oliver complained glancing at his mother.

"Oliver we went through this last night," Malcolm answered for his mother. "Mr. Diggle will be responsible for your personal safety."

"Right, he'll ensure I don't choke on my breakfast," Oliver commented rudely.

"If that does happen, I can assure you I know the Heimlich maneuverer Mr. Queen," Mr. Diggle replied evenly.

Raisa arrived with breakfast and Oliver took a seat. He noted that his bodyguard took a position behind him in the room. Oliver felt uncomfortable having a trained killer standing behind him even though the man was there to protect him. He noticed the other man that Malcolm hadn't bothered to introduce him to stand on the other side of the room.

Thea soon arrived and she paused as she entered the room when she noticed the unnamed man. She waved 'Hi' at him and her cheeks blushed slightly. The man nodded his head slightly to acknowledge her greeting and she slide happilythe seat next to Oliver where she would have a great view of unnamed man. She didn't usually sit next to him but he didn't want to call her out on her behaviour in front of Malcolm. Thea wasted no time shovelling food onto her plate.

"Are you in a rush Thea?" Malcolm asked observing his daughter closely.

"Group project by Hannah," Thea answered. " I need to finish my section of the report and then I'll need someone to drive me over," Thea said throwing a not so discrete glance at the man.

Oliver wanted to reach out and smack his sister. She was not supposed to have a crush on the security, particularly one he knew nothing about.

"I'll get Rob to drive you," Moira told her.

"Actually, I was thinking of getting out the Mansion today for a little while. I'm sure I can take Thea," Oliver offered. It would be an excellent opportunity to meet up with Lyla afterwards.

"That sounds like an excellent idea,Mr. Diggle can drive you," Moira informed him. Malcolm nodded his head in agreement.

Oliver pursed his lips. He was going to have to find a way to ditch his bodyguard after they dropped his sister off.

"What is your report about Thea?" Malcolm asked curiously circling the topic back around to Thea's need to leave the Mansion.

"It's for Biology. We are studying classification andeach group was assigned a need to prepare a report on the distinguishing features of our class and prepare a presentation to give in class. We got Class Arachnida," Thea explained.

"Call me when you're finished, I will collect you," Malcolm told her.

His sister nodded. Soon she was pushing away from the table to return to her room.

"Knock on my door when you're ready," Oliver called after her.

"Ok," she shouted from down the hallway.

Malcolm was the next to leave the table and Oliver observed that he left the room with the unnamed man. Oliver pushed away from the table and left the room conscious of Mr. Diggle on his tail. He headed for the steps to go up to his room and caught sight of Malcolm and the man entering his personal study down the hall together. That was of definitely an interesting development.

**S-3**

As soon as the door to his personal study closed, Malcolm turned a furious gaze on his second in command.

"Constantine, the man on the motorcycle was not supposed to be a problem," Malcolm stated angrily. He had a strong urge to put an arrow in something but he knew attacking his right hand man would be a bad strategic move. He would have to settle for verbally expressing his current displeasure.

"It may not be the motorcycle man that attacked you last night," Constantine replied calmly. He had worked with Malcolm for the last four years and knew how to read him. An angry Merlyn was not a problem. However a calm calculating Merlyn was extremely dangerous.

"No it's the same person as the person from the docks. I studied the video footage closely last night. The man that broke into Dr. Kreukis's office is different. He's taller and more muscular. He seems to prefer a bow and arrow if the quiver on his back was any indication. The one that attacked me seems to prefer swords and throwing stars. It's definitely two different agents we are dealing with," Malcolm stated confidently.

"Our ARGUS contact is still trying to confirm if there are agents in play. I think it might be prudent to keep the door open to independent contractors as well since no one knows about your connection to Tempest. It could be a person related to your past. Maybe someone seeking revenge?" Constantine suggested.

"I haven't thrown that option out. I have made a few enquiries. I have a meeting coming up that will hopefully shed more light on who these two men are," Malcolm responded cryptically.

"Some of the members are getting a bit antsy," Constantine commented.

"I'm sure once they read today's paper their doubts will be quelled," Malcolm stated picking up the paper on his desk and turning to the page that reported on the death of Mr. Summers. That would be a clear message to the other members not to test him.

"My informants have told me that the FBI investigation has hit a dead end,"Drakon told him.

"As I expected it to. They know he was murdered but those clueless idiots have no idea how to progress any further without a person to problems at the port are over. Everything should return to normal in a few weeks. Our priority should be dealing with these two men. I want extra men assigned to the cameras. Any man on a motorcycle at night should bereported to you immediately," Malcolm ordered.

Drakon nodded and pulled out his phone to make the call while Malcolm looked the laptop he left open on his desk earlier in the morning. The screen was frozen on a picture of the man from the rooftop slipping into the back of the convention centre to get away from police. He had requested the feeds from inside the convention centre but had been told that the camera system hadn't been working that night. Malcolm thought it strange that the man would remember to disable the cameras inside the convention centre but not outside, unless the back door wasn't his planned entry into the convention centre? Perhaps he didn't expect to be identified on the roof so soon but surely once he threw the star he must have known they would pinpoint him on the roof? Unless he wasn't supposed to attack him just observe him? What made him throw the star at that particular moment?

There were so many questions to answer and Malcolm actually felt a thrill of excitement that he might finally have an opponent of some measure to face. It was time for the game to begin.

"Tell Quentin he's to release the image of the man that attacked me to the public. I want him to know, that we are aware of him and the tables have turned. He is now the prey. The next time I see him, he won't be as lucky," Malcolm promised.

Drakon nodded pulling up Quentin's contact information on his phone.

"Also, put a tail on Ms. Michaels. I'm curious to see where she goes today," Malcolm instructed.

"I already have someone following her," Drakon revealed and Malcolm smirked. He knew there was a reason he hired the man.

"We do have another developing issue," Drakon revealed, "Walter's secretary reported that he had some files on his desk that were not relevant to his work."

Malcolm clenched his jaw, "Keep a close eye on him. I don't want to eliminate him. He's a good CFO and an excellent way to keep a tight leash on Moira."

"Any progress in the Glades?" Malcolm asked.

"A few more residents were convinced to sell but we still have ten more hold outs for the area that Stellmoor requires,"Drakon answered.

"Ms. Rochev suggested to me that we use a more _aggressive_ method to encourage them to move," Malcolm said with a steely glint in his eye.

Drakon narrowed his eyes, "Are you suggesting a personal intervention?"

"I'm suggesting a particularly violent method that's linked directly to our man in black," the eldest Merlyn said with a proud smirk.

"If he is an ARUGS agent they won't believe it's their agent," Constantine pointed out.

"Probably not but it will draw him out and we will be waiting. It's a win-win scenario. We get theStellmoor deal completed, that god awful woman can leave my city and we eliminate our enemy at the same time," Malcolm sat down on the large leather seat behind his desk completely relaxed for the first time since the incident. The anger he had felt earlier had completely ebbed away now that he had a plan forward.

"Mr. Summers position on the committee will need to be replaced,"Drakon pointed out.

"I am aware. I have a person in mind by in the mean time, have you considered how you will protect my son while you're completing your other duties?" Malcolm asked.

"During the day he's at MQI. Andy's men can protect him there. When he's here the general security has him covered. All other times I will be with him,"Drakon explained.

"My son isn't going to make this easy on you. He's an undisciplined selfish spoilt brat. I made many mistakes with Tommy. I failed him as a father. I expected him to teach himself. I corrected that error with Thea. She's a much better representation of the Merlyn name," Malcolm said staring at the Merlyn crest on the wall. "I want you to evaluate Tommy for me. I'm considering grooming him to take over Mr. Summers place on the committee."

**S-4**

Oliver was on his laptop reading the first results of his background check into Mr. Diggle when there was a knock on his door.

Mr. Diggle's voice floated through the door, "Mr. Queen your sister is here."

"Send her in," Oliver responded closing the cover on his laptop and placing it on his bedside table.

The door opened and Thea stepped into the room dressed in a jeans and tank top, no backpack.

"I'm ready," she stated.

"Where are you books?" Oliver asked standing at the side of his bed.

"I e-mailed my section to my friends, I don't need my books," Thea said exasperated. "Ollie, I don't need the interrogation. I have a father already," she stated.

"Malcolm is your step father," Oliver corrected her.

"Wait, mom didn't tell you?" Thea laughed bitterly. "That's so like her. Keeping secrets."

"Tell me what? What do you think mom is keeping a secret?" Oliver asked.

"Malcolm is my real father. She had an affair and I was conceived during that affair. At least she's too old now to have any children so she can sleep with Walter as much as she wants. There will be no other half siblings popping out," Thea said sardonically.

"What?" Oliver said trying to wrap his head around what Thea was telling him.

"Come on, you never wondered why I look so different to you? It's because Malcolm is my father. We even did a DNA test. Of course the world doesn't know about it. Mom would have a heart attack if they knew she wasn't as squeaky clean as she claims. I wonder if Walter knows the truth?" Thea pondered at the end.

Oliver's mouth opened and closed like a fish. Malcolm was Thea's biological father and his mother was having another affair. HIS MOTHER!

"Thea, I highly doubt mom is having an affair with Walter," Oliver disputed.

"You haven't been here Ollie. You don't know who our mother is. Malcolm showed me the video of her going to QC after work instead of coming home to me. Why do you think the 7:00pm dinner rule was implemented? It was to force mom to spend more time with me," Thea revealed.

Oliver was at a total loss for what was going on but none of it sounded right. None of it sounded like the mother he knew.

"Thea, that can't be true!," Oliver said in disbelief. "Mom doesn't need a rule to ensure she sees you."

"It is. You weren't here. If the seven pm rule wasn't in place would I even see you or Tommy or would you both be out every night?" Thea asked fiercely.

She had him there. The less time he could spend in this mansion he would. He didn't feel comfortable lying to her; he was already lying about so much so he chose to deflect the question. "Thea, you are my sister."

"Half sister," she interrupted crossing her hands in front of her chest and shifting all of her weight onto her left leg.

"Sister," Oliver stressed, "I can't tell you how much I missed you while I was gone. I've come back and you're all grown up. No one has to order me to spend time with you."

Thea looked away, "Can we go?"

"Sure," Oliver said still reeling from his sister's revelations.

They stepped out of the room and found Mr. Diggle staring straight ahead, no indication that he had heard their conversation when he probably appreciated the man's professionalism.

"Shall I bring the car around Mr. Queen," he asked focusing on his job.

"Yes we'll meet you at the car," Oliver instructed. Mr. Diggle nodded his head and set out in the direction of the garage. This would have been an excellent opportunity to ditch his bodyguard but that would be a bad example for Thea.

Oliver glanced down the corridor to Tommy's closed door. His brother picked one hell of a day to check out from the world. He made a mental note to ask his assistant to contact Tommy's and set up lunch for them the next day. There was plenty they needed to discuss especially since he was positive Tommy would be missing the meeting with Lyla.

Mr. Diggle brought the car around and opened the back door for him and his sister. He noted the usual black car that tailed Thea everywhere was behind them. He wondered if he would have preferred a group of guards that tailed him rather and a personal bodyguard that was up close and in everything he did?

"Mr. Diggle, do you know why Mr. Drakon was here this morning?" Thea asked curiously.

"I believe he is Mr. Merlyn's bodyguard," Mr. Diggle answered.

"My father doesn't need a bodyguard," Thea responded absently.

Oliver narrowed his eyes. Thea had just brought to his attention the fact that Merlyn didn't have a bodyguard. He was the one that was attacked, you would think he would have hired about five guards to keep him safe, yet instead he focused on his family's protection.

"Not your father, your brother," Mr. Diggle responded his eyes briefly moving from the road to look at them through the rearview mirror.

"Oh, you mean Tommy," Thea said.

"Mr. Diggle, please call Tommy by his first name. It's going to get very confusing if you keep saying Mr. Merlyn," Oliver instructed.

His bodyguard nodded his head and returned his gaze to the road in front of him. Oliver turned to Thea who had since busied herself on her phone. The drive was a lot shorter than he expected. Thea's friend lived in a mansion five mansions down from them. Thea jumped out of the car when they arrived and headed up to the main entrance while the other car that was following them parked under a tree off to the side to wait for her. The guards didn't get out to check the house. Oliver thought they were a bit lax.

"Where to now?" Mr. Diggle asked.

"Just drive into town," Oliver instructed.

Mr. Diggle choose a remote route that took a lot longer than the direct route to get into town. He obviously was very experienced at his job. He noted the man was weary of every spot that looked like it could be turned into a potential ambush point. When they reached into town, Mr. Diggle chose to go into the entertainment district of the city assuming that was where his boss would want to go. That implied that his bodyguard had researched him. In order to protect someone properly you need to know your charge well. His mother had selected someone that took their job very seriously. He wandered if Mr. Diggle would notice the differences between his current self and his pre-island self.

"So what do I call you?" Oliver asked him.

"Diggle, Digg if you want," he answered.

"You served in the military?" Oliver asked already knowing the answer to the question. He had seen his full service record on ARGUS's system.

"Yes sir, 105th Airborne out of Kandahar, retired, joined my brother's security company four years ago."

"Ah so security is your family's business," Oliver joked.

"I don't want there to be any confusion, Mr. Queen. My ability to keep you from harm will outweigh your comfort," Diggle started to say.

Oliver noticed that they were coming up to a cross street that would lead him directly to the Glades. He opened the back door and jumped out. The door closed behind him and he moved quickly to the corner of the street. He stopped and turned around to see Mr. Diggle stopping the car and getting out to check the back seat. Mr. Diggle looked quite incredulous but Oliver didn't care. He had a meeting to get to and his mission outweighed Mr. Diggle's comfort with protecting his clients.

**S-5**

Oliverwalked the streets of the Old Glades a Sunday there were a surprising amount of people out and about. None of them paid him any passed a makeshift basketball court in the car park of a dilapidated apartment building. The wall the hoop was attached to was covered with graffiti. Oliver stopped to stare at the artwork. It was amazing. The colours were bright and vibrant. The artist clearly had a zest for life that came out in his work. There were a few guys playing a game so he decided to keep moving lest he attract unwanted attention on himself.

A block away from his destination, he saw a news bulletin for the arrest of a figure in black with what looked like a sword on his back. The TV he was looking at was located in a store window of a local electronics shop. The ticker tape running below the picture claimed the man depicted was the attacker at the Queen /Merlyn Welcome Home Bash and the police had a hotline for any tips on the man. They were even offering a $10,000.00 reward. Their mission just got a tab bit more complicated. They were hoping they could move around at night for a while before the police caught on to them. Now they were going to have to be more vigilant.

Today's meeting spot was not Big Belly Burger but the construction site for the Community Centre. There was one black sedan parked in front of the building which probably belonged to Lyla but he still approached the building cautiously. He walked through the open hole in the wall and found her looking through the hole in the ground to the basement. He noted the large box on the ground next to her.

The new floor was scheduled to be cast this he would focus on getting their lair in the basement up and running. All of the reinforcements to the building had been completed and the basement wired according to the specs Felicity had requested.

"Your new base doesn't look like much," she commented not turning to look at him. "I thought you would have been much further along in the construction."

"The structure was reinforced significantly. A bomb could probably go off in the middle of this building and it will still be standing." Oliver said confidently. "You wanted to talk?"

She finally turned around to look at him and her eyes scanned briefly past him before settling on him again.

"Where is he?" she asked in a neutral tone.

"He's not feeling very well today," Oliver replied. That was the second time he used that line for the day.

"Oh I bet he isn't. That was some stunt he pulled yesterday!" Lyla said angrily. "He's put the whole mission in jeopardy. The police force has an open manhunt for him. What was he even doing on top the roof of the police station?"

"He was looking for the report on the fire that happened five years ago?" Oliver explained.

"Why that has nothing to do with your mission?" Lyla retorted. "Waller wants results, not useless enquiries into other matters that ARGUS has no interest in."

"Tommy suspects it might be relevant to our mission. It's rather suspicious that a fire wiped out one side of the Glades and Novus was built so quickly in its place," Oliver pointed out.

"The fire was investigated and no wrong doing was found," Lyla countered.

"That was why Tommy wanted to see the report," Oliver said defending his brother. "He wanted to see what the investigation turned up. The public record didn't even list a cause for the fire."

"Well what did it say?" she asked impatiently.

"I don't know," Oliver admitted.

"You don't know?" Lyla repeated in disbelief.

"I haven't spoken to Tommy since the party," Oliver was forced to divulge to her.

Lyla sighed heavily. "I was afraid that might happen. He's blaming himself for what happened."

"It was his fault," Oliver pointed out coldly. A fact was a fact.

"Yes but he shouldn't dwell on it. The mission needs to be completed. He can't afford to wallow in guilt. The purpose of Tempest and their members'identities need to be determined. A group like Tempest cannot continue to operate on American soil," Lyla lectured him.

"The mission will be completed. I will get Tommy back on track," Oliver assured her.

"Will you?" she challenged. "You were in Russia when Mariko died. You didn't see what Ravager did to him."

"I've seen the scars!" Oliver roared. He didn't need to be reminded about the pain Tommy had suffered when he wasn't there.

"Has he ever given you the details of the incident with Ravager?" Lyla challenged him.

Oliver remained silent. He and Tommy had an unspoken agreement about not discussing the trauma they have both been through.

"I thought so. Tell Tommy he's on a month suspension. I don't want him anywhere near this mission till he gets his head back in the game," Lyla stated with authority.

"What? I thought Waller wanted results," Oliver queried sarcastically.

"Yes but we can't get results if you're both dead. Tommy's lapse in judgement has landed him on top of Star City's most wanted list. No doubt he has also attracted the attention of the Tempest group for the stunt at the port."

"That stunt was part of our investigation," Oliver replied angrily. He hated it when their so called superiors criticized their methods in the field. It was Oliver and Tommy out here. It was their lives on the lines and considering they went in under their real names it was also the lives of their families on the line.

"And now our one lead, Summers, has been killed. It's also affected the FBI's investigation into the port," the brunette ARGUS agent pointed out.

"We shook the apple tree. They got scared," Oliver said with a shrug.

"And what other leads do you have? Do you plan on walking up to China White and asking her if she knows anything about Tempest?" Lyla asked sarcastically.

"That is a possibility," Oliver mused. The mention of China White reminded him that he had yet to take his mother's laptop and investigate her link to the Triad.

"I read your file. You're the last person she wants to see," Lyla remarked.

"I never said it would be a pleasant conversation," Oliver replied with a wide smirk.

"We've heard talk about a new drug on the street that's not connected to any of the gangs. It's being sold in the Old Glades. This might attract the attention of the Tempest group and cause them to take action. I suggest you find the dealer and keep a close eye on what happens."

"You don't want me to stop the drug dealer?" Oliver asked confused.

"We're after the bigger fish," Lyla said.

"Speaking of bigger fish, I recently came across some information about a few of Star City's well-to-do families that are doing things that aren't very legal," Oliver said presenting Lyla with a USB stick. "This stick has some good leads on how to put these people away."

"ARGUS doesn't deal with that, try local law enforcement," Lyla replied curtly.

Oliver frowned, "The police aren't going to investigate this. They've had years to do something and have done nothing."

"Then find some other way," Lyla said. Her phone buzzed and she looked at it. "I have another mission to attend to. Make sure Tommy gets my message." She looked down at the box next to her, "This your compound bow."

"Finally," he said moving over to open the box and scrutinise his new bow.

Lyla didn't wait for his assessment of the weapon and walked away from him. If she had waited, she would have heard his complaints about the bow they provided him with. He disgustedly threw the box in the basement and hid it in a corner before leaving the site.

**S-6**

Oliver left the construction siteand walked carefully through the Glades. He looked up over the wall to the towers in Novus district. The contrast between the pristine towers and the dirty dilapidated buildings was startling. Novus district represented progress but progress at what cost? Were the residents over there really happier than the ones in the Glades?

He thought back to the information he gleaned from 's patients. Not all of them were criminals. There was a suicidal man who had lost all his savings to an investor called Adam Hunt. Nothing was being done to help him and Oliver couldn't understand why Hunt wasn't in jail yet because the evidence clearly showed that Adam Hunt was in the wrong. The suicidal man hit rock bottom and saw no hope. Oliver had no idea how the man was paying for his session but the man's desperate pleas for help moved Oliver to approach ARGUS to get justice on his behalf. He was disappointed they didn't want to help and he knew if the local police had done anything yet, there was no help for the man.

Oliver noticed that Wild Cat Gym was open which surprised him since it was a Sunday. He walked through the doors and found it crowded, more crowded than it was before. The main boxing ring had a crowd around it but Oliver noticed that the other mats had crowds around them too. There seemed to be three different fights going on. The main ring had a boxing match and the other two seemed to be some type of martial art. Ted was refereeing the match in the main ring, his assistant,Issac, was handling one of the other matches and Sara was doing the third.

He moved across to Sara's match where two girls were fighting each other withescrima sticks. The match was a lot fiercer than the two men boxing in the centre ring. The girls were fighting harder than the boys in the main boxing ring. There techniques were sound but their fighting strategies needed a bit of work. They were letting their emotions guide them. They needed to be a bit more clinical. Both had let their guards down and the other failed to take advantage of it, instead preferring to strike as hard as possible instead of as precise as possible. They continued trading blows for another ten minutes before their endurance started to fail. The least tired girl was able to sweep the other girl off her feet and then bring the stick down to her face. She was going to hit her opponent but Sara stepped in and stopped the girl. She declared the girl winner and reminded her of the rules. Sara helped the one on the mat up and the young girl stalked off upset.

"Next fight in ten minutes," Sara called shaking her head. The little crowd around that mat dispersed and went to the main ring. Sara spotted him quickly.

"This is a strange place to find you on Sunday," she commented coming to stand in front of him.

"Can't I visit my friend?" he asked innocently.

"I didn't think you would be allowed out of the house after last night," she told him honestly.

"Since when have I ever followed the rules," he joked lightly.

"Touche," she agreed. "But seriously are you and Tommy ok?"

"Of course we're fine. We weren't the ones that were attacked and ended up in the hospital," he replied seriously. He had looked into the girl's condition that morning. She was listed as critical. The star penetrated her abdomen slicing into her liver and severing the hepatic artery. The prognosis was bad.

"No you aren't in the hospital," Sara agreed.

"What is all this?" Oliver asked using his right hand to point to the crowd in the room.

"This," Sara said looking around the gym, "Is Ted seeing a problem and using his skill set to provide a solution. Ted's idea is to keep the youth of the Glades out of trouble by providing them an outlet to release their energy in a positive way. We know the Old Glades is a dangerous place. We know the problems that plague our community. If the kids are here, then they aren't out on the streets joining gangs, selling drugs and getting into trouble. Though apparently that doesn't stop them from ripping each other apart over a boy," Sara commented looking off in the direction one of the girls left.

"So that was that was about!" Oliver stated.

Sara sighed, "Yeah. I've been training them for a year. They both like the same boy. It's complicated. You know it's funny now that I'm on that other side of the fence looking at girls fight over a boy it makes me realise how foolish I was at the time for wanting to date you."

Olive ignored the comment in favour of focusing on the present, "These kids come here every week to fight?"

"Actually they come in during the week to learn discipline and how to defend themselves. On Sunday is our weekly tournament. There are no prizes. The winner just gets bragging rights but those rights are very important around here," Sara explained.

"How about I sponsor a tournament? I can donate some cool prizes," Oliver suggested wanting to help out with the imitative.

"Oliver," Sara said in a cautionary tone.

"We can connect your programme to the Community Centre," Oliver further suggested.

"I don't know. The Queen and Merlyn name isn't very popular around here," she warned him.

"Then this is the perfect PR event," Oliver replied.

Sara frowned, "I hope you're suggesting this for more than just the PR."

"I am," Oliver said honestly.

"Hey Sara," a girl interrupted, "It's time for the next fight."

"I gotta go, I'll talk to Ted about your idea," Sara promised.

Oliver nodded. He watched for a few more minutes and then decided to leave. He had a four more blocks to go before he made it back to the city centre and he could take a cab home.

Sara's words echoed in his brain as he walked, " _This is Ted seeing a problem and using his skill set to provide a solution._ " Oliver saw a problem, actually he saw a list of problems that need cleaning up in Star City and he had the necessary skills to do it. There was nothing stopping him from exposing Adam Hunt himself and forcing the police's hand. He started to form a plan in his head to deal with all of the corruption he had identified. Very soon Adam Hunt was going to get a midnight visit from him.

**S-7**

**FLASHBACK – 46 months after the Gambit sank**

For the first time in Tommy Merlyn's life he was completely happy. It was a strange feeling. It was very different to the happiness he felt when he partied, drank or quenched his sexual desire in his latest conquest. This happiness felt deeper and much more satisfying. Most of all, it wasn't about him but the woman currently in his arms, Mariko. She was so much more than any other girl he had ever dated.

He brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. She looked much younger when she slept. She said the same thing about him. Insisting that the weight of the world disappeared when you slept. He thought it was because she filled his dreams. They were cuddled together, something he never used to do with his flings, in one of the hospital beds. As experienced as he was, this was his first time in a hospital bed. It had taken some convincing to get Mariko on the bed, she preferred his cot. He finally understood why. The hospital bed really wasn't that comfortable. He couldn't give her the proper amount of attention she needed on the small bed. He wanted to worship her and for that he preferred the couch.

The possibility hung in the air that this might be the last time he could be with her. He was leaving tomorrow morning on a Chinese fishing vessel that looked like it would capsize the minute a wave hit it. He was not looking forward to the boat ride to Tori-Shima, the restricted uninhabited Japanese island that the competition was being held on. Until it was proven otherwise, boats sucked. If he were allowed to fly to the island he would have but the tournament rules insisted that participants arrived by boat. Part of the challenge was getting onto the island alive.

ARGUS trained him for months for this mission. He knew he was as prepared as he could possibly be but it felt like this tournament would change his entire life, more than Lian Yu had. In the last week they had received confirmation on some of the other entrants in the tournament. Mariko forced him to study the files. She insisted that he had to know his opponents. Several top ranking Yakuza assassins were entered as well as independent mercenaries. Tommy was glad he had also learnt how to throw knives and other weapons because some of those men he didn't want to get within ten feet of them.

After the tournament concluded, assuming he survived, he decided he was not going back home. There was nothing for him in Starling City. He had no desire to see his father. He wanted to stay in Hong Kong and start a new life with Mariko. If she allowed it, he wanted to move into her apartment with her. He would get some menial job and he hoped they would be happy together. He didn't have the details worked out yet, he just knew that it was a much better alternative than going home.

He had not spoken to Tatsu in the last three days. Something was going on with her husband and Oliver. Whatever it was he was confident they would sort it out. Oliver had a knack for getting out of trouble.

"What's bothering you?" Mariko's raspy voice asked breaking him out of his thoughts.

Tommy gave her his most brilliant smile and forced his facial muscles to convey happy. He didn't want her to know he was troubled. "I was just thinking about my code name for the mission. I was thinking something along the line of Darth Tommy?" he proposed.

Her eye brows crunched together in confusion, "Darth Tommy?"

"Yeah you know like Darth Vader, the evil Sith Lord?" he said excitedly. "Though I'm not exactly evil but he wasn't always evil. He was redeemed. But I think you're right. It should be Master Tommy like a Jedi Master."

He took one look at her facial expression and knew right away she had no idea what he's talking about. "And you've never seen Star Wars have you?" he concluded.

She shook her head, "No."

"As soon as I get back we're watching Star Wars all six movies but in this order, episode 4, 5, 1, 2, 3 and then 6," he informed her.

"Why can't we watch them in order?" she asked curiously.

"It's a long story and if I answer that question I'll be giving away the plot," Tommy answered. He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. "Just trust me. This is the best way to watch the saga."

"You know there are plenty of famous Samurai in history. Your weapon is a sword, how about using one of their names?" she suggested listing off the most famous of the Samurai in Japanese history.

"You can call me your personal Samurai," Tommy proposed to her not really liking any of the names she proposed.

"How about Samurai as your code name then?" she asked.

"It sounds so generic," Tommy whined.

"It's just a start. Think about it. You have at least two weeks on the boat to finalise it," she said pulling their joined hands towards her and kissing the back of his.

Tommy groaned, "Why did you remind me about the boat trip from hell?"

She laughed softly. "Stop worrying about the tournament," she said.

"You know what I don't get, they throw us all on this island to fight and then at the end, which is always a month later, the winner gets the title best fighter of this generation or something like that. How is the tournament not done in three days?" Tommy asked.

"There is not much information available. The last winner is the Yakuza's top assassin. If you could find him you could ask him," Mariko joked.

Tommy just looked away knowing that trying to fake a laugh wouldn't work on her. Her free hand reached for his face and gently forced him to look at her again.

"Tommy, you were stuck on an island before and you survived. You can do this. You have one goal, apprehend Ravager and then get the hell off that island. I didn't spend months teaching you for you to fail. My students don't fail me," she said confidently.

Tommy studied her face carefully. She didn't show one iota of doubt in him.

"Well then tell me about our future when I get back," Tommy proposed.

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"It will be my pleasure to tell you all the glorious things we're going to do together when you return," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

**S-8**

At about three o'clock in the afternoon Tommy got fed up of examining the way the shadows moved across his ceiling as the sun moved across the sky. He was also very hungry. He had missed both breakfast and lunch. He was still in the clothes from the day before and he forced himself to have a shower and change. Going downstairs in the clothes from the day before would certainly clue everyone at the Mansion into something being wrong with him.

He stepped into the scalding hot water but it didn't take away all those ugly feelings he had. The image of the girl bleeding on the ground, his throwing star stuck in her torso, was burned into his mind. He couldn't think of anything else. She was unconscious by the time he left with his father. The news report indicated that she was in critical condition at the hospital. That alone compounded what Tommy was feeling. About midday a picture of him was published as a person of interest in the case. At first he thought maybe it was a picture from the docks but then he realised it was of him going to the back door of the convention centre. He hadn't meant to re-enter at the back. He knew he had really fucked up the whole mission. Waller would be really pissed but he could bring himself to care.

He threw on a black jeans and black silk shirt and headed downstairs. He was halfway down the stairs when he cursed his luck. His father and a man a little shorter than Malcolm appeared from his private wing and were headed towards the front door. He was just about to turn around and go back up to his room when his father caught sight of him.

"I'm glad you finally decided to join us downstairs," Malcolm stated with venom. "I asked you to be down for 7:00am not 3:30pm."

"I was a bit hungover," Tommy answered nonchalantly. He stood still on the step and stuffed his hands in his pockets lest he try and do something stupid again.

"You weren't drunk in the limo last night," Malcolm pointed out quickly. His father was always very sharp.

"No, I continued the party in my room," Tommy answered nodding his head back in the direction of his room. He still hadn't continued down the steps. He feared if he got any closer he might give in to temptation again.

"You know I always thought Oliver was the bad influence on you but since he was at breakfast on time, clearly I was wrong. It is the other way around. It's my own son that's the bad apple," Malcolm said spitefully.

Tommy recoiled in anger, "Maybe that's because I had a dick for father." The hands in his pockets curled into fists.

Malcolm was going to respond but the stranger with him cleared his throat loudly to interrupt the spat. Both Merlyns turned their attention to him. Malcolm sighed and looked back at Tommy.

"Tommy, this is Constantine Drakon. I personally selected him to be your bodyguard. His services come highly recommended. I'm positive he will be able to protect you from any external threat," Malcolm stated confidently.

"Why does this feel like you're assigning me a spy that reports directly to you more than a personal protector?" Tommy asked his father angrily.

His bodyguard seemed to pick up on the tension and started heading up the steps to Tommy with his hands up, palms open in front of his chest. It was supposed to be a placating gesture and it effectively cut off Tommy's view of his father. His bodyguard knew how to diffuse situations.

"I'm Constantine and I'm sure we can work together to ensure your safety. I'm sure you don't want what happened last night to happen to you?" Drakon asked. He stopped next to Tommy on the stairs. Tommy noted they were roughly the same height.

Tommy reluctantly shook the man's hand, "Nice to meet you but I'm going to have to break your heart early and tell you this relationship isn't going to work out man," Tommy joked.

Drakon laughed, "I beg to differ. It's my job to make it work and I'm very good at my job, Mr. Merlyn."

Tommy blanched, "Don't ever call me Mr. Merlyn! I don't ever want to be associated with _**him**_ ," Tommy said venomously tilting his head down the stairs in his father's direction.

Drakon skipped right over the comment and got down to business, "Do you have any plans for the rest of the afternoon?"

"Lunch," Tommy answered curtly.

"Lunch was served an hour ago," Malcolm pointed out tersely. He was still standing at the bottom of the stairs watching the two men interact.

"I'll go out," Tommy said defiantly, "Big Belly Burger is always open. I really could have used a place like that on the island."

Tommy resumed his path down the steps and bounced his shoulder roughly against his father as he walked passed him to the door. He was aware of Drakon following dutifully behind him. The main door to the mansion closed behind them and Drakon stood behind him silently. In a few minutes one of the town cars appeared and Drakon opened the door for him. Tommy got in and Drakon slid into the seat next to him. Drakon instructed the driver to take them to the Big Belly Burger in the entertainment district and he told the driver which route to take there.

"I thought you would be driving the car," Tommy quipped. He did not like the idea of sharing the backseat with a man he did not know.

"Your father employs several qualified drivers. I don't need to complicate my job further by driving. I wouldn't want you to jump out of the car and disappear while I was driving," Drakon said his gaze on the road ahead of him but Tommy knew the man was studying him carefully.

Tommy snorted, "Who would do something idiotic like that?" he said flippantly but he had a sneaking suspicion of who exactly was crazy enough to do that.

"Your brother," Drakon said confirming Tommy's suspicion.

**S-9**

Oliver arrived home with an hour to spare before dinner. He had every intention of making a beeline to Tommy's bedroom to check up on him but a maid stopped him and told him he was to see his mother immediately. He was going to ignore the request but when he asked the maid if Tommy had emerged from his bedroom, he had been told that Tommy had left with his bodyguard to eat lunch and hadn't returned yet. That left him with no other option but to meet with his mother.

Her office was on the opposite side of the mansion to Malcolm's. Various expensive pieces of art lined the hallway and three quarter of them he didn't know. She had added to her collection during the five years he was away. He found a few of the new pieces quite macabre and he wondered if that was a sign of his mother's mental state after she had lost him and his father.

He knocked firmly on the door and then entered once she said he could enter. She was seated behind her large mahogany desk with her laptop in front of her. Even though it was a Sunday, she was still dressed as if she had gone into the office for the day. Her hair was perfectly coiffed, her makeup was flawless and her jewellery complemented her white suit.

She was busy typing something on her computer while Oliver stood at the door waiting for further instructions. She finished what she was doing quickly and turned her gaze to Oliver. Her face gave nothing away.

"Oliver, please have a seat," she said pointing to the chairs in front of her desk.

He was hoping the conversation would have been a more casual one where she just wanted to say a word or two and then he could leave. Being offered a seat meant it was a more serious conversation. He strolled casually to one of the large leather chairs and collapsed in it hoping to convey to his mother that he was tired and wasn't in the mood for a heavy hitting conversation. He had yet to tell Tommy about Thea's revelations and until he did, he felt his mother should be the last person he talked to. The issue of Thea's paternity was something they needed to address with both of their parents together.

His mother looked him over carefully before she decided to begin the conversation.

"I understand you ditched your bodyguard today," she said, the disapproval in her tone clear.

Oliver had to admit that he didn't think Mr. Diggle would report his disappearance. It would reflect badly on the bodyguard and could cost him his job. Yet the man did and Oliver found he respected the man more for it but it put him in a precarious position. With his mother knowing that he was unattended for a few hours he needed a real solid reason for jumping out of the car. He didn't want to tell he knew about Malcolm's real connection to Thea but if he played that card now, it would blindside his mother and he didn't need her coming anywhere close to the truth.

"I just needed a little bit of room to breathe mother. Thea told me the truth about her real connection to Malcolm and I needed time by myself to process that," Oliver explained in what he hoped was a neutral tone. He didn't want her to know how truly angry he was about what he learnt.

His mother exhaled. That motion spoke volumes to Oliver. She didn't want him to know the truth.

"Oliver," she started in that concerned tone she used to use when he had fucked up.

"Don't mother. I've been trying to understand why you never told me, or Tommy since we've been back. Why continue to keep the secret?" he practically begged her to answer the question.

"Oliver, you have to understand. You just returned to me. I didn't want to possibly risk losing you over this. I couldn't take the heart break of losing you all over again!" Moira explained reaching across the table and offering her palms face up for Oliver to hold her hands. He decided to accept the offer. Her hands were colder than he expected.

"When Mr. Diggle reported that you jumped out of a moving car to get away from him, I almost had a panic attack!" Moira admitted. "I had no idea what was going on. Why my son would do such a thing?"

"I went to the construction site to think," he admitted suspecting that his mother would have searched through the city's camera network and already know that he went into the Old Glades.

"Oliver the Old Glades is dangerous," Moira admonished. "This city is not the one you remember. I hired Mr. Diggle to protect you. Let him do his job. Malcolm will protect his children and leave you out in the cold. I have to ensure you're protected." She squeezed his hands to emphasise her point.

"And we're back to you neglecting to tell me that Thea is Malcolm's daughter," Oliver said circling back around to the main issue.

"Malcolm agreed with me to let you adjust to being back for a few months before we said anything," she said in defence of her decision.

"So it was entirely your idea not to tell us? Not Malcolm's?" Oliver asked in disbelief withdrawing his hand from hers. His mother reluctantly retracted her hands and clasped them together on the desk in front of her.

"Everything I do is to protect you and Thea," Moira insisted in a steely tone.

"I can take care of myself," Oliver pointed out leaning back in the chair defiantly.

"If you're making decisions to go into the Old Glades without Mr. Diggle then I'll have to disagree with your claim," Moira stated refusing to give him any leeway.

"You never had a problem before," Oliver snapped. It was true. Before the _Gambit_ went down Oliver could do anything and go anywhere he wanted. Granted back then his only interest had been in women and the women he wanted were not in the Glades.

"Before our family was not under threat Oliver!" Moira said her voice rising slightly in volume. "Times are different now. As I said Malcolm will protect Tommy and Thea first," Moira repeated.

"What threat?" Oliver asked wondering if his mother was referring to China White and the Triad. He needed to do some intel gathering at the Triad restaurant in the entertainment district as well as relieve his mother of the laptop in front of her.

"Promise me Oliver," his mother pleaded, "That you will not go anywhere without Mr. Diggle again."

Oliver realised that whatever she was afraid of was a real dangerous threat. His mother was not prone to exaggeration and over reacting.

"I'll try," Oliver offered knowing there would be times when he would have to ditch the shadow. "But this conversation about Thea isn't over yet. Tommy has to be told."

His mother watched him carefully and sensing that was the best she was going to get relented. "Ok, you better get ready for dinner darling."

Oliver took that as a dismissal and he stood to leave her office.

She stopped him at the door, "Call Tommy and convince him to come to dinner on time. He shouldn't test Malcolm anymore today," she advised.

"I thought you said he and Thea were protected?" Oliver asked snidely.

"Yes but who will protect them from him?" Moira asked wisely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally Digg's been introduced! I know there was no Felicity, originally she had three scenes in the chapter but the plot for the chapter was too long and I had to split it in three. Her scenes ended up getting pushed into the next chapter so I focused this one a bit more on Digg and his introduction and Oliver's evaluation of him.
> 
> On a completely unrelated note. I started watching Orphan Black and the actor that plays Paul, played Adam Donner!


	9. Science Advisor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Arrow.

**S-1**

Oliver entered the town car that would take him to the applied sciences building to find that Mr. Diggle was already seated in the backseat. His hoped when he didn't observe Mr. Diggle that morning at dinner that his mother had miraculously changed her mind overnight but that didn't appear to be the case. Mr. Diggle was busy arranging his transport to work and ensuring that he had a plan in case he decided to jump out of the car again. Oliver plastered on a smile and entered the limo.

"Fasten your seat belt Mr. Queen," he instructed.

Oliver reluctantly followed his bodyguard's suggestion.

"Mrs. Queen has arranged for your executive assistant to copy me on your schedule for the day," Diggle explained.

Oliver wanted to groan. He didn't know why he hadn't been more forceful with his mother about refusing a bodyguard. He found it very hard to openly say no to her. She thought she was doing what was best for him and he didn't want to show her what he was capable of. He wanted to be the good son that she always wanted not the monster he has become. If humouring her with the bodyguard allowed her not to see the monster then he would do that.

"It looks like you have several meetings throughout the day including a lunch time meeting with Tommy Merlyn at the headquarters," Diggle said.

"Yes," Oliver confirmed with a smile.

The rest of the drive was quiet and they arrived at MQI safely, no sign of any threat that his mother had mentioned last night. When they spoke he got the impression that the threat was far larger than the incident between Tommy and Malcolm. There was so much more going on than he was aware of.

They entered the elevator and Diggle pressed the elevator button for the executive floor but Oliver pressed a button for the 3rd floor. Diggle arched his eyebrow.

"IT assistance," Oliver explained.

Originally breaking into his mother laptop was supposed to be test #2 but he had yet to source said laptop so that would not be test #3. He had a new idea for test #2. He walked into the department, the various IT workers, all glued to their cubicles as usual. He headed straight to her office.

"Felicity," Oliver said popping his head into her office to confirm she was there.

"Oliver!" From the look on her face, he had startled her.

"Hi, I was hoping you could help me with something," he asked softly. He was cognizant of the fact that Mr. Diggle was right behind him.

"Anything for the boss," she replied putting down her tablet and locking it.

"Great," he walked over to the chair and sat down. Mr. Diggle entered behind him and surveyed the room. She looked at him curiously.

"Felicity this is my bodyguard, Mr. Diggle. Digg this is Felicity, she helps me with IT stuff."

Diggle nodded.

"If you're satisfied that I'm safe, could you wait outside. I don't think Ms. Smoak is going to reach across the desk and strangle me," he joked.

"Yet," Felicity teased.

Diggle actually studied her closely before he stepped outside. Once the door was close he turned back to Felicity. "So the centre is coming along according to your plans but we need to choose things for inside."

"We?" she questioned.

He ignored her question and asked one of his own, "Do you know there are over 500 different types of chairs sold in Star City?"

"No, I did not know that," Felicity admitted.

"I'm a guy. A chair is a chair to me," he said

"I would have to disagree with you on that. Isit on chairs all day and back support is very important. Well not all day. I do other things like get up and walk to the cafeteria for lunch or to another floor. I should probably get more exercise in. Occasionally I pop in a home video and exercise though the woman on the video does 10 sit ups and I can only do five," her eyes widened as she seemed to realise she implied something, "The video is done at home. I don't do that at work. Only work is done at work. No other activities at all, just sitting and typing away which is why I know about chairs but I don't think you came here to hear all of that so I will stop in 3…2…1."

Oliver smiled nodding his head at her. "I have proposals for six interior designers I wondered if you could help me out." He opened his briefcase and removed the six very large proposals he had received when he tendered the interior furnishing of the centre.

"Help you out how Oliver?" she asked suspiciously.

Smart girl. "Well for starters, three quarters of these colours I don't know and I have no clue what these materials are."

"I'm sure your mother and sister would love to take you shopping," she commented wryly.

"I wouldn't wish that hell on anyone," Oliver replied.

Felicity laughed and Oliver really liked the sound. He found his own lips were ticking upwards in a real smile.

"What are your priorities?" she asked.

"Priorities for what?" he asked confused.

"I assume you want me to analyse the tenders. What is important to you? The lowest price isn't necessarily always the best. There are other factors that can determine who you choose such as the quality of the product being offered, the terms and conditions of payment, the warranty, the service schedule, availability of replacement parts. Those were just examples. I know some of those don't apply to this situation but I need to know what you want. I'm not a mind reader Oliver."

"I would say my top priority is that I want to know who I'm doing business with. I want to make sure that I'm not supporting someone that would be all too happy to see the people of the Glades displaced. That would defeat the purpose of Verdant," he said.

He watched her entire face light up.

"You're calling it that!" she asked her eyes sparkling with happiness.

"Yes I happen to be very fond of the colour green."

A light blush covered her cheeks and Oliver felt strangely proud he had made her blush. That was a new feeling. He let the silence hang for a few minutes while he thought about the rest of his criteria.

"I want a good safe product. If the company chosen is using locals to install or sourcing local materials to use in their work that would be a plus. I would like to say I don't care about price but Malcolm seems to have a keen interest in this project and he cares about price. I would greatly appreciate it if you could give me some feedback by the end of the week."

She nodded her head dumbly, probably too afraid to babble again in front of him. He kinda like that babble though. He left her office with a light feeling. That was Felicity's second test and he hoped she passed it. He was sure that event though he didn't' specifically state it, he wanted her to run a full background check into all of the companies.

Diggle was standing outside the door and he followed after him towards the elevator. "I don't think the IT manager is very happy with your visits to his employee."

"What makes you say that?" Oliver asked Diggle.

"He popped his head out of his office several times looking specifically in the direction of Ms. Smoak's office. He also spoke to one member of staff. As we were leaving that same member of staff picked up the phone to make a call and the phone in the Manager's office rang. I don't think he approves. Besides him a few of her co-workers also made a few comments about the type of work she's doing for you."

Oliver's fist clenched at the implication, "It was a work related visit. Not for anything else. I'll have to make that clear to everyone."

**S-2**

Oliver was the first to arrive at Table Salt. He had made the reservation for the private room in the back. He was hoping he could talk to Tommy privately in the room. His brother had come home in time for dinner the previous night with his bodyguard in tow. Oliver had tried to get his attention at dinner but Tommy chose to have a conversation with Malcolm about their old house. Apparently the house was still in Malcolm's name. Tommy shared many fond memories of his childhood, pre-Rebecca Meryln's death in the house and it was the first time he saw both Tommy and Malcolm relax. Thea too seemed engrossed in listening to the conversation. At one point they even laughed at Tommy's retelling of them attacking a hornet's nest on the property, something they would never ever do again. Malcolm was in such a good mood, he offered to have it transferred into Tommy's name.

It felt good to laugh together as a family and Oliver actually gained a slight appreciation for family dinner. He tried to approach Tommy after dinner but that failed as well.

He was nursing a scotch when the door opened and Tommy entered followed by his shadow. Tommy stopped to examine Diggle.

"Tommy this is my shadow John Diggle," Oliver introduced.

Tommy spluttered, "Did you say Diggle?"

Diggle's eye's narrowed in suspicion, "Yes are you familiar with the last name?"

"No I thought you said jiggle for a moment," Tommy covered. "I just needed to clarify because well, I don't think there's anything on top to jiggle." He then turned to his bodyguard, "This is my male escort, Constantine Drakon."

Drakon frowned at the description and Tommy seemed very pleased with himself. Oliver was wondering though how many people actually name their children Constantine. He had met one Constantine before.

"Would you mind giving us the room?" Oliver asked.

Diggle stepped out of the room but Drakon remained. Oliver looked at Tommy to deal with his bodyguard.

Tommy patted the man on the back, "Unless you think some assassin is going to pop out from under the table, we're safe in here dude. I would like to sit down and enjoy lunch with my brother as normally as possible."

Drakon reluctantly relented and exited the room.

"Jiggle Tommy, you almost blew the whole thing there," Oliver reprimanded.

"Dude that is Lyla's ex-husband! That's her Johnny. Oh why couldn't he have been assigned to me! I would have had a blast teasing her." Tommy whole face spoke of mischievous plans and not for the first time Oliver wandered if he was the only one that had grown up and left those sort of antics behind.

"Yes I'm aware of their previous relationship. I did do a complete background check and I'm sure Lyla will put a bullet in your brain if you even attempt to tease her. Oh and she said to tell you you're on one month's suspension."

"What!" Tommy exclaimed in disbelief.

"Waller's pissed," Oliver said with a frown.

"Oh please, pissed is her default emotion. If she's not pissed, she's enraged, or angry or livid. That woman only knows one emotion. Someone should give her a psych eval."

"Seriously Tommy what happened at the party?" Oliver had given him his space and it was time for some answers.

"I saw Thea and I just couldn't believe my father brought her there. We had all agreed she was to stay home. He's an awful parent. She doesn't deserve him in her life. I got angry and I thought, one little nick on the shoulder couldn't hurt," he said.

"Except you didn't nick him," Oliver pointed out annoyingly.

"I know, he blocked it."

"You have to be a trained professional to block that," Oliver said with a scoff.

"I know but he blocked it and I will get to the bottom of it," Tommy insisted.

"Is that what last night was about?" Oliver asked.

"I was hoping by bringing up the past he might mention where it was he disappeared to but he's still tight lipped about it. One wonders how he even got laid!"

The mention of Malcolm's sex life reminded Oliver that he needed to tell Tommy about Thea.

"Thea told me something yesterday while you were locked away," Oliver started.

"I didn't lock myself away," Tommy denied.

Oliver arched his eyebrow at him.

"I merely took a little break from reality. There is a difference. One is an unhealthy action the other is healthy. I took a mental health day," he cocked his head to the side, "Maybe you should try it sometime Ollie."

Oliver ignored him, "Thea is our half-sister."

Tommy laughed, "Very funny Oliver. I only took yesterday off. I'm fully present here."

"I'm serious. Your father is her biological father," Oliver explained.

The air left Tommy's lungs and he sat back against the chair stunned. Oliver chose that moment to take another sip of his scotch while he let his brother absorb the news. He buzzed for the waitress to order their meal. Oliver ordered for them and then waited until his brother was ready to talk.

"What else did I miss yesterday?"

"Just the meeting with Lyla," Oliver said with a shrug.

"Any other news besides my suspension," Tommy asked.

"She wanted to know what you found on the fire and she ridiculed the outing of Summers. Nothing unusual."

"I found absolutely nothing. The file is gone, vanished, disappeared, missing..." Tommy said making grand hand gestures to show that the file had vanished.

"I know what gone means Tommy," Oliver deadpanned.

"I can't prove it yet but I suspect it's connected to our mission. If Tempest is the group in the background running this city, then Tempest could have started the fire to develop the Novus sector," Tommy hypothesized.

That then prompted Oliver to ask, "If they started the fire, what do they have planned for the other half of the Glades?"

**S-3**

Tommy found his way over to the IT department in the Applied Sciences Division later that afternoon. He asked Drakon to wait at the elevator while he went to conduct his business. He was surprised when the bodyguard actually agreed.

The department was exactly as he expected, a bunch of nerds around computers. He spent years teasing these people in school with Oliver. Most of them were zoned out behind their computer doing whatever it is they did. He knew Ms. Smoak had her own office but there were several possible doors around the open floor plan that could lead to her office. He really didn't want to ask someone for her office and draw attention to himself.

He found a cubicle that was empty and picked up the phone. He dialed the extension listed for her in the directory on the desk. He heard a phone ringing behind the door at the end. The phone stopped ringing as she answered the phone. Bingo. He put the phone back on the receiver and straightened his coat. He wanted to make a fantastic first impression.

He didn't knock on the door, he wanted catch her by surprise except he was the one surprised. Instead of the plump woman with no make-up and cat print cardigan he imagined, there was a blonde bombshell. No wonder Ollie kept coming back to her.

She was busy looking at something on her tablet and hadn't even realised he had opened her door. Tommy stepped forward looking at her tablet. It looked like she was watching the street outside. The view changed a few times and he realised that she had hacked into the SCPD camera system. That would indeed be very useful to them.

Tommy cleared his throat and she jumped, her seat rolling backwards away from the desk. He noticed she quickly locked her tablet.

"Why don't billionaires knock?" the irritation in her voice was clear.

Tommy plastered on a fake smile to smooth things over with her but the frown on her face deepened. That was interesting. Not many could resist his killer smile.

"Ollie told me how much you helped with the community centre," he started observing her carefully. She didn't show the slightest reaction to his charm, "I was hoping you could help me with something," he finished with a large smile.

She pursed her lips, "Did Oliver send you?" she asked in a suspicious tone.

Tommy noted that she was on a first name basis with his brother and she seemed to be able to see through bullshit.

"No," he answered honestly.

She tilted her head to the side and studied him. Her gaze unnerved him. Mariko had warned him about people like her. People whose instincts were sharp and kept them from falling for ploys and gimmicks. Oliver had a similar instinct.

"Why are you here?" she asked. The blunt question told him her guard was up. Technically he was her boss and she shouldn't be asking him something like that.

He decided to drop the charm, "I was hoping you could help me with some research that I can't do on my own."

"What kind of research?" she asked.

Tommy sighed and he dropped down in the chair opposite her. "When I was eight my mother died. I… It was hard," Tommy said letting his voice crack a little. Usually he never showed such weakness but he believed showing her his vulnerabilities would convince her to trust him. "My father completely shut down," a small voice at the back of his head pointed out that he hadn't been that shut down if he conceived Thea with Moira. "Malcolm eventually disappeared from my life for a few years. I want to know where he went, maybe then I might understand him a bit more."

She was sitting rigidly but he still had her attention.

"Felicity, I hope I can call you Felicity," he said and she nodded her ok. "I need to know where my father was when I needed him," Tommy said honestly.

Her eyes dropped to the desk in front of her, "Maybe it's for the best if you don't," she said sadly and Tommy realised he had hit very close to home. She had an issue with an absent father as well.

"Please?" he pleaded.

"Ok I'll see what I can find," she relented.

"Great," he said reaching across her desk for her sticky note pad. He picked up a blue pen next to the pad and wrote his number on it. "This is my personal cell phone number. Only Oliver and my family have this number. Call me when you get some information."

"Ok Mr. Merlyn," she responded which elicited a frown from Tommy.

"Please call me Tommy. I don't like being reminded of my father." This time his smile was real and she smiled at him in return.

Oliver had indeed selected a good prospect for their IT asset. If she could hack into the camera system that would put them on equal footing with SCPD. He wandered if she was good enough to keep them from being found on the cameras? That would give them the invisibility to move throughout the city unhindered. He also wandered if she could locate the missing report. If Tempest is behind the fire then the report might point them in a direction of members of Tempest.

**S-4**

Tommy had just closed the door Felicity's office when a shorter, older man stepped next to him. The man turned his nose up at him.

"Mr. Merlyn may I have a moment of your time please," the man asked.

Tommy blinked, "And you are?" he asked. Every individual in the department was peeking over the top of their cubicles to see what was going on. He felt like he was being cornered and his instincts to fight back were rising.

"I'm the IT Manager, Mr. Tockman. We can talk privately in my office," he instructed and walked away from Tommy expecting him to follow.

Tommy weighed his options, he could accede to the manager's request and follow him back to his office or he could blatantly ignore him in front of all of his staff and walk away. He suspected that if he walked away it could have consequences further down the road so he chose to follow Mr. Tockman to the office at the entrance to the IT department. The first thing he noticed was the amount of clocks on the wall. Someone had an unhealthy obsession with time. Mr. Tockman invited him to sit and Tommy accepted the invitation.

"Mr. Merlyn," he started and Tommy flinched. He really hated people calling him that but this manager was not someone he wanted to be on first name basis with so he would have to put up with the formalities.

"I have noticed that Ms. Smoak seems to be attracting the attention of both Mr. Queen and yourself. I hope this is not some game you are playing?" the disapproval in his voice was clear.

Tommy couldn't believe the audacity of the man to accuse the Vice-Presidents of the company of impropriety. Maybe five years ago he and Oliver might have tried to sleep their way through the company but not now. Especially not when Malcolm would kill them if they caused a sexual harassment suit.

Mr. Tockman continued to talk, "Ms. Smoak has a lot of work to do and your visits cut into her productivity. Mr. Queen has already spent a total of thirty minutes with his visits and you spent ten minutes that's a total of forty minutes. For an employee such as Ms. Smoak she could write a new programme in that time frame. In future, all requests for Ms. Smoak should come through the official channels," Mr. Tockman stated.

"Mr. Clockman," Tommy said.

"Tockman," the manager corrected.

Tommy was about to open his mouth to respond politely when, "Cuckoo, Cuckoo," was heard behind him and he jumped around in a fighting stance ready to take out whatever enemy was behind him. Mr. Tockman chuckled at him.

"Both you and Mr. Queen have had rather interesting responses to my cuckoo clocks," Mr. Tockman noted. There was a glint of humour in his eye.

Tommy saw red. Whatever diplomatic answer he was going to give cuckooman went out the door."I am a VP at this company. If I wish to hand select members of staff for projects, I can. If I wish to personally interview them to gauge if they will be a good fit for my project team, I can. Ms. Smoak's interaction with myself or other Vice-Presidents in no way means she isn't being a productive employee. It's quite the opposite actually. She provides valuable advice that informs the strategic direction of the company which to me means she's being productive. After having spoken with Ms. Smoak, I believe she's the perfect person to help me with one of our upcoming acquisitions. I'm very perturbed that before I could even get time to write up the proper paperwork to inform her Manager that Ms. Smoak will be assisting me with a project in my office and as such would require time off to attend meetings, said Manager accosts me before I could even walk three feet away from her door. You implied that Oliver and I had untoward intentions towards Ms. Smoak but perhaps it's you that intends to hold her back in life. When the paperwork arrives I expect you to approve it. Good day Mr. Stockman," Tommy said standing up and leaving the office. That English class he took because of the sexy teacher certainly came in handy when he needed to make himself look like a college educated VP.

He took one last glance at the offending cuckoo clock on the wall and seriously contemplated a late night visit to the office to mess with the man's cuckoo clocks. If he could get it to say 'dick' instead of 'cuckoo' that would hilarious.

The workers in the cubicles all appeared to busy with work on their computers but he got the distinct impression they were all somehow watching him. As he was walking out of the department he noticed the small camera at the entrance that was angled to look out onto the main floor of the department. You wouldn't see it when you were entering. Perhaps they were all watching him through that.

That little encounter gave him work to do. He needed to find a small tech company to acquire in order to keep the cover he created on the had a strong feeling his father was going to be asking him very soon about this new project. He's sure Drakon already reported what Tommy was up to. He knew he needed to have a solid answer for his father.

His bodyguard was waiting for him by the elevator,

**S-5**

Tommy met Helena for dinner at one of her father's Italian restaurants. To make up for the last disappointment he arrived with a large bouquet of flowers, chocolate and a simple platinum bracelet with the Greek upper case Psi engraved on it. The symbol was used to represent the psychiatric field and he knew she would understand their connection to the symbol.

Helena was waiting by the entrance in a deep purple dress with a plunging dress hugged her curves and Tommy was ready to skip dinner altogether. She greeted him with a kiss to his cheek. The flowers and chocolates were given to one of the staff members to put in her apartment. She asked Tommy to place the bracelet on her hand right away. She admired it with a smell smile before she kissed his cheek.

"It beautiful but I hope we never have to go back there," she told him.

"I hope not," Tommy agreed with her.

They followed the hostess through the restaurant to a private table in the back. There were no menus on the table and Helena informed him that she had taken the liberty of ordering for them. A whiskey on the rocks arrived immediately along with some garlic bread.

They started a light conversation about the weather before the food arrived. It wasn't the best Italian food he had ever eaten but it was above average. It was certainly better than the food he had eaten on the islands.

Helena's eyes strayed to Drakon."Is your babysitter going to be with us all night? His presence is annoying me," Helena insisted.

Tommy had done his best to ignore his bodyguard. Drakon had politely suggested that they move the date elsewhere but Tommy refused. Even though he knew why Drakon did not want to go the Italian restaurant, Tommy was still determined to go. He wasn't going to let Frank Bertinelli's reputation keep him away. Drakon had been on edge since he arrived and he was surprised that Helena had picked up on the man's discomfort.

"I sure as hell hope not. I have plans for tonight," Tommy said with a lascivious grin.

"You do?" she challenged him. "Care to fill me in."

"Well, originally I thought a nice romantic ride around the city followed by another grand gesture to make up for the recent disappointments but I figured you would probably just want to go back to the loft and have sex," he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"You're half right," she said with a wicked smile.

"You don't want sex?" Tommy asked perplexed.

"Oh I do just not at your place. I think we should try mine," she leaned forward challenging him to accept her proposal.

"Oh," he said glancing at Drakon in the corner. "I don't know how he will take that," Tommy admitted.

Helena turned her gaze to the man again, "Pest," she called. Drakon didn't budge, "Pest, I'm talking to you," she said pointing her index finger at him. Tommy noted that while her nails were neatly trimmed she had no nail polish on them.

"Mr. Merlyn can you kindly inform your girlfriend that she can address me as Mr. Drakon," he said irritated.

Helena rolled her eyes. "Tommy tell the Pest that we are going to my place to have sex whether he likes it or not and he's not invited."

Helena's voice carried to the tables around them. An old lady started choking on her glass of water and a mother was covering her child's ears as she glared at them. Helena looked like she didn't give a damn what the other patrons at the restaurant thought. Tommy turned to relay the message to Drakon.

"Absolutely not," Drakon replied. "You are to return to the Manor after this date."

A wide smile spread across Helena's face as she stood up, "Follow me," she said to Tommy.

Tommy didn't waste any time, standing up and throwing his napkin that had adorned his lap onto the table. He turned to look at Drakon, "Wait here," he ordered

"Fat chance," Drakon said moving towards Tommy.

Tommy followed behind Helena towards the kitchen wherethere were two meatheads guarding the door. They let him and Helena through but stopped Drakon. She turned around and winked at Drakon. "Now he's all mine to play with," she teased.

Tommy assumed they would be taking a back exit into a waiting car but instead she turned up a narrow staircase.

"You live upstairs," he asked as he followed behind her.

"Sometimes," she shrugged.

She opened the door and as soon as they were through she pushed him up against the door. Her hands quickly found their way under his shirt,stroking his abs while her mouth attacked his. Her tongue fought with his for suddenly broke off the kiss and stepped away from. She turned around and started walking away from him. Her hands reached behind her and she unzipped her dress slowly. Tommy's eyes followed as the zip slowly made its way down her back exposing the white flesh of her back.

She paused and looked at him over her shoulder, "The bedroom is this way." She then shimmied out of the dress, the purple material falling to the floor and pooling around her heels.

Tommy stared at the dress on the ground before his eyes slowly made their way up her shapely legs, to her nice ass that was encased in a lacy black panty. He made a mental note to rip them off as punishment for her teasing. His eyes continued up her smooth back, to the sultry grin she was throwing him over her shoulder.

"Like what you see?" She walked off towards a door and Tommy followed after her quickly. She was sprawled out across the bed, her head resting on a pillow waiting for him.

"Take off my heels for me?" she ordered.

Tommy walked forward and took one of her feet gently in his hands. He removed the shoe and then kissed her ankle. He slowly made his way up her leg till he reached her panty line. He moved over to the other leg and kissed his way down to her other shoe. He looked up at when he removed it. Her breathing was shallow and her pupils were dilated. There was a slight blush adorning her face and chest.

"Come here," she said motioning for him to kiss her.

He crawled up her body and she slipped him onto his back before he could make contacts with her lips. She straddled him.

"I think someone's over dressed," she purred. She ripped open his shirt sending buttons flying everywhere.

"Someone's eager?" Tommy teased.

She leaned forward and crashed her lips against his, her hand running over his chest while their tongues battled.

They were interrupted by a loud banging on the door.

"Helena open up now!"

Tommy paused kissing her but she continued kissing along his jaw to take his ear lobe between her teeth and nibble softly on it. He moaned in response. She continued doing that through the incessant knocking. It was only when the person threatened to break the door down did she pull away from him.

"What?" she yelled angrily."I am entertaining a guest,"

"Helena, Malcolm Merlyn wants to know where his son is?" an angry voice said through the door.

Helena ignored him.

"Open up now or I will break this door down Helena," the voice threatened.

"Give me a few moments father," Helena said reluctantly getting off of Tommy and going over to the adjoining bathroom. She returned in a black silk robe and exited the bedroom. Presumably to deal with her father in the other room.

Tommy was always awful at the meet the parents kind of thing, not that he really wanted to meet Frank Bertinelli. He wanted nothing to do with the man. Helena returned to the room with her dress in hand. She threw it on the bed.

"Are you ok with me opening the door with you still in that state?" she asked and nodded towards his crotch where there was a noticeable bulge.

"Shit," Tommy cursed. He definitely shouldn't be meeting his girlfriend's father with a raging hard-on. He sat up to lean against the headboard and used a pillow to cover his lap while he willed it away.

Helena left the bedroom and he heard her open the door followed by the loud footsteps of a man stomping into the room.

"Where is he?" the voice of Frank Bertinelli demanded.

There was more stomping and then a middle aged man appeared at the doorway. His eyes critically searched the room. They stopped for a few seconds on the rumpled sheets of the bed before his eyes fell on Tommy.

Tommy plastered on a sickly sweet smile on his face and waved at him. Bertinelli ignored him and moved away for the door. Panic suddenly filled Tommy when he couldn't see what was happening. He sprung from the bed quickly, the urge to lay his eyes on Helena overwhelming. His instincts were screaming she was in danger.

He entered the main living area and found Bertinelli was still advancing on his daughter threateningly. Tommy glanced into the small kitchen and saw a knife block. He headed to the kitchen. If Bertinelli laid a hand on Helena he would cut him open like a pig to be roasted over a spit fire.

The man came to a stop in front of his daughter. He took a deep breath and then started talking. "Helena," he said in a cherry tone the exact opposite of the anger he had just been displaying. "I'm happy you decided to move on but Tommy Merlyn may not be the best choice," he advised.

Helena lifted her head defiantly, "And why is that?" she challenged her father she didn't try to make her tone light and convey that everything was all hunky dory. Tommy had slipped into the kitchen by then and was hovering near the knife block. He opened the door to the fridge and took out a carton of orange juice and placed it right by the block. If they asked why he was there, he had a response.

"He has a bit of a reputation as a ladies man. I don't think that's who you need right now," her father explained. Coming from anyone else, Tommy might think he was a concerned parent but knowing what he knew about the mobster, Bertinelli was seeking his own interests.

"Well you thought I needed Dr. Kreukis and look how that turned out. It's a miracle none of my sessions were shown," Helena threw in his face angrily.

Tommy knew it wasn't a miracle but rather Oliver respecting the connection that Tommy shared with her. Oliver was always extremely protective of those he cared about.

"Helena," Frank said in a warning tone. "It's not up for discussion." The man's hand clenched in a fist and Tommy's hand slowly moved towards the largest knife in the block.

"Father," she spat venomously but he cut her off by turning to speak to Tommy. Tommy dropped his hand quickly onto the counter behind the juice.

"Mr. Drakon is downstairs waiting for you. My daughter and I need to continue this conversation in private."

Tommy's eyes sought Helena's."Go ahead I'll be fine," she said to him. He maintained eye contact with her. He didn't see any fear in her eyes and he knew he had to respect her decision no matter how much he wanted to stay to ensure her safety.

Tommy nodded, "I'll see you tomorrow?" he questioned just to rub it in Mr. Bertinelli's face.

"Definitely," Helena said with a large smile. He moved towards her and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. She sighed softly in response. "Stay safe," he whispered in her ear before he walked out the door. He knew if he looked back he might kill her father.

Drakon was indeed waiting downstairs by the town car with a rather nasty look on his face. Tommy got the impression that if he could get away with hurting him, Drakon would. As he got into the back seat, he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Helena.

_Performance Failure:_

_Helena:1 Tommy:2_

**S-6**

**Flashback**

Boats, yachts, trawlers, pirogues, really any sea worthy vessel suck. Tommy hates the trawler he's stuck on. The boat rocks like all boats, it always smells of the fish they hunt for andthe men speak Mandarin all the time and make fun of him but the worst part is the Captain expects him to work. He's had to use his bare hands to pull fish and all manner of sea creature out of the fishing nets. He's sure some of them are worthy of being in Hollywood's next monster from the sea movie. Some of the creatures are so ugly Tommy's sure they **will** break mirrors.

He hates the food on the boat. It's tasteless and he's sure 95% of it is raw. The food on Lian Yu had been gourmet compared so the shit they feed him. He thought of taking a cup of seawater and trying to boil the water out to harvest the salt to improve the flavour of his food but he saw one of the deckhands peeing over the side of the boat and that changed his mind. He'd suffer. He had a few snacks he had packed for the island but he's eaten them already. He's sure he can hunt for his food on Tori-shima. It's supposed to be full of birds. While his aim is piss poor with a bow, he can hunt for the eggs on the steep slopes. It will definitely be better than what he had on the boat.

His thoughts drift every so often to Oliver and he hopes his brother is doing well. Before he left Mariko assured him that Oliver was fine but he could tell there was something she was holding back. He should have questioned her more but he chose to focus on his own mission. Oliver was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. It was Oliver that got him through Lian Yu. Tommy knew he wouldn't have survived without Oliver. He made so many disastrous decisions.

The slope of the east side of Tori-Shima came into view. He could see the white dots of the birds nesting on the slopes as well as ruins of the old observatory on the island. Mariko had told him one of the birds, the short-tailed albatross was endangered and scientists were working on bringing the population back. Usually permission was needed from the Japanese government to land on this particular island but the Yakuza seemed to have taken care of that. They probably bribed the officials responsible for taking care of the island.

They sailed to a small rocky bay that had formed from a lava flow when the volcano the formed the island, erupted. It was the easiest way to get on the island.

"Ok off," the Chinese Captain commanded.

"Off? We're like 300 feet from shore," Tommy said pointing between the boat and shore.

"You swim form here. This is as close as I goto the island," he told him in his heavy Chinese accent.

Tommy spluttered. Seriously? A deck hand picked up one of his bags and shoved it roughly into his chest with a few teasing words in knew he was going to get a little wet but no one said anything about swimming 300 feet. He hated swimming. That was why he had no problem replacing the water in his swimming pool with beer. It was a much better use of the space.

"Either you get off now or you head back to Hong Kong with us!" the Captain threatened.

The thought of spending more weeks on that god forsaken boat had Tommy's feet moving to the side rail of the boat. He threw his bags overboard, they had flotation devices attached and all of his gear inside were in water proof bags. He then jumped up on the gunwale and mentally prepared himself to dive in but before he could finish he was pushed roughly overboard.

He flopped ungracefully into the water. Cold was the first thing he registered before he surfaced. The deckhands were all laughing and mimicking the screaming sounds he made as he fell overboard. He glared. When he finished this mission he would find a way to throw all of them overboard. The boat started to move away from him and he realised he was on his own now. He needed to get to the island or he would freeze to death in that water.

He swam over to his bags thankful that Mariko added flotation devices so they would float. Wait, had she known he had to swim to the island and didn't tell him? When he got back to Hong Kong he was going to have a word with his girlfriend about withholding vital information.

He held on to the bags with one hand and did some sort of kick and a desperate stroke with his free arm. The tide was rising so it was pushing him towards shore. He was thankful he didn't have a strong current to fight because that was a battle he would have lost. It felt like he had been in the water for hours but with one more timid kick, a small wave dumped him unceremoniously on the pebbled shore, his bags landing roughly on top of him.

He coughed up some water and then stared at the sky. The sun would be setting in a few hours and he would need a fire to stay warm or he would freeze to death. Scratch that, he needed a fire now because he was freezing from that water and the wind blowing wasn't helping. He felt a sharp prick on his neck and thought some sort of bug had bitten him. He reached up to his neck and pulled a dart from it.

His vision started to get hazy and he realised he had been drugged. That wasn't fair!The competition wasn't supposed to start until tomorrow. He had been on the island no less than three minutes and he had already failed his looked like his father was right, once a screw-up always a screw-up. The last thing he saw before he blacked out were a group of heavily armed men approaching him.

**S-7**

Malcolm was seated behind his desk when Tommy entered his study, Drakon on his tail. They had come straight to the Mansion after his ruined date with Helena. Tommy thought it was time for him to have a serious conversation with his father about his life and how he wanted to live it. His loft was now fully furnished and it was time to inform Malcolm that he was moving out.

"We need to talk," Tommy said towering over Malcolm's desk. He could see his father was reading the latest financial report that had been submitted by the finance department earlier that day.

His father looked up at him calmly and then his gaze drifted passed him to Drakon. Malcolm nodded his head and Tommy heard the door close shortly afterwards. His father looked back at him and continued to stare at him in silence. He had never seen his father look at him so closely before.

"Finally worked up the courage to tell me you're moving out," Malcolm commented nonchalantly.

The surprise flitted across Tommy's face, "How did you know?"

"I know everything that goes on in my city," Malcolm boasted.

Tommy sincerely doubted that. Malcolm had no idea that he and Oliver were ARGUS agents but it did reinforce his growing suspicion that his father knew a lot more about what was really going on in the city. Perhaps he was even connected to the Tempest group in some way.

"I suppose you are going to say no?" Tommy asked bitterly.

"If I were going to say no you wouldn't have an apartment," his father responded evenly.

Tommy was confused. Malcom was just letting him move out without a fight. He thought his father would insist that he had to stay and live in this mansion like some slave. Tommy had a whole speech planned out and several harsh words about how exactly his father had failed him throughout life so far. He suddenly felt very cheated. How was he supposed to scream at his father when his father had successfully diffused the situation before it had even started? He still wanted to yell and scream at him but it was hard to do that when his father was behaving like a reasonable adult.

"Dinner one last time tomorrow night with the family. You will inform them of your decision to the leave the Manor," Malcolm told him.

Tommy nodded. That was a fair request.

"Is that all?" Malcolm asked looking up at his son calmly. Tommy had the urge to slap the look off his face.

"No, I wanted to talk about Drakon and his duties now that I will be living at the loft," Tommy added. He glanced back to see if the man was still in the room with them but he had indeed left when Malcolm nodded earlier. This wasn't what he had intended to talk about but he needed to pick a fight about something.

"Drakon will be picking you up in the mornings and returning you in the evenings. If you have a date with Ms. Bertinelli, he will accompany you and stay with you until you return to your loft," Malcolm explained to him.

"And if I choose to spend the night at Helena's?" Tommy challenged his father.

An amused smirk played across Malcolm's face, "I highly doubt that will ever happen again."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tommy asked. "Helena and I are still very much a couple."

Malcolm sighed and looked away to his portrait on the wall before he returned his gaze to Tommy, "I realise you are not aware of who Helena's father is. Frank Bertinelli runs the Italian mob in Star City. If the FBI could get any of their charges to stick they would lock him up in jail and throw away the key."

Tommy didn't have to act surprised because he was genuinely surprised that his father was revealing that information to him. In the past he hadn't cared what or who Tommy did. Robert Queen was always there to clean up the messes he and Oliver got into. Either it was Robert's absence that was forcing Malcolm to actually talk to Tommy now or he had moved up one rung on the father ladder from dead beat dad to pain in the ass dad in the last five years.

"For your safety Tommy, always invite Helena over to your loft or get a hotel room. Frank has been known to remove Helena's lovers from her life," Malcolm informed him.

"You're not going to tell me to stop dating her?" Tommy questioned suspiciously. Where was the father he knew? Did something happen in between the time he saw him at the office and his arrival at the Mansion. This was not the father he knew. Was he speaking to an imposter?

Malcolm sighed again, "If I tell you to stop dating her, will you stop dating her?"

Tommy remained silent as his father stared up at him.

"Exactly as I thought. Is that all?" Malcolm asked picking up his pen off the desk.

"Uh yes," Tommy replied stupidly.

"Good," Malcolm said going back to the paperwork on his desk.

Tommy left the study completely dumbfounded. What was he to do now? He really felt like a pawn that thought he had the King in check only for the King to move away. Should he pursue the King or should he continue down the chess board to get upgraded? He decided to stop contemplating chess analogies and go upstairs to his room. He needed to pack his clothes, toiletries and personal were the last things he needed in the loft.

He packed two suitcases worth of stuff and headed downstairs. He could collect the rest of the stuff after dinner tomorrow. He requested a driver since he was thinking of buying his own car because he didn't want anything that belonged to his father. The car came around to the front and Drakon was driving it. Tommy nearly groaned out loud.

At that time of night they arrived in front of his building quickly. On the way up to his loft he couldn't help but notice another set of security upgrades had been added. That was the third set since he purchased the loft. There were no more blind spots on the ground level or his level. The last time he checked the roof was unmonitored and he hoped this latest upgrade hadn't fixed that. With the first set of upgrades he thought the building's management committee was making inconvenient upgrades to the security system but now he knew otherwise. The upgrades were curtesy of his father. No wonder he let him move out so easily!

**S-8**

The following evening, Malcolm reluctantly made his way to the clock tower in the Old Glades. He hated this section of town but this was the location he was given for the meet. He hadn't been on this side of the city for almost two years. The dirt and the filth were highly offensive. If they didn't get the residents to sell soon then he was going to have to take matters into his hands again. This part of the city was an eyesore than annoyed him.

He looked down at a homeless girl at the entrance to the clock tower. Why would she choose to live like this when there were programmes in the City to help persons such as her? Moira had most of the major companies contributing to those programmes. As a result of the contributions the programmes were purpose of the programme was to rehabilitate persons and get them back on their feet. All you had to do was conform to the rules and you would be given a job and an apartment in Novus District. It was a very simple process and he would never understand why so many persons chose to live on the streets instead.

Figuring he had spared her enough thought, he pushed the heavy door opened and scowled at the dust inside. The clock tower had laid dormant for years. He remembered he used to drive passed this tower all the time when he used to pick Rebecca up at her clinic. If he heard the chimes from the clock then he knew he was late and he would incur the wrath of his wife. He had been on the receiving end of that wrath many times and it was one of the reasons she had started taking the subway home. Rebecca had grown so confident in the safety of the subway she often stayed later than she should have at the clinic. He had thought about all the circumstances that ultimately led to his wife's death and he didn't need to rehash the thought process again. He doubted he would have any new revelations.

There was no elevator to the top so he had to walk up a few flights of stairs to get to the meeting point but that didn't bother him. He was much fitter than one would assume. He reached the top to find that it was empty. His contact hadn't arrived yet. One side of the clock was open to the night's air and he walked over to survey the scene below him.

The sun had set already and a few street lights illuminated the road. There were many shadows cast and Malcolm thought he saw a few shapes moving around in the shadows. They were probably waiting to rob someone. He would have to recommend to Moira that she review the street lighting situation in the Old Glades. Even though he would like to pretend that the area didn't exist it was still a part of his city and good outstanding citizens still came into the Old Glades for reasons he couldn't fathom. His own children were starting a community centre in the area. He needed to ensure their safety from the animals that lived there.

"You wished to see us?" an accented voice stated behind him.

Malcolm did not need to turn around to know who had arrived in the clock tower with him. The voice belonged to Nyssa Al-Ghul, Heir to the Demon. He had known her since she was a little girl. She was the one to give him his name in the League of Assassins, Al-Saher, The Magician, after he performed a simple sleight of hand trick with a coin for her.

"Yes though I admit I thought it would have been Al-Owal your father sent." He turned around and bowed."I'm deeply honoured that he would send his heir instead."

"My father trusts you. He wouldn't have released you from the League of Assassins otherwise, Al Sa-Her," Nyssa noted.

"Ra's Al-Ghul is a wise and honourable man, I seek his advice and knowledge," Malcolm said returning to his full height. He looked Nyssa in the eyes. She was dressed in the usual League garb with her bow and sword on her back.

"What is it that you wish to know?" she asked curiously.

"I was attacked two weeks ago by a man dressed in black. He carries a sword on his back and is fond of using throwing stars. There was also another separate incident in the city with an archer in a green hood. I suspect its two separate people," Malcolm explained as he handed her stills that he had pulled off of the CCTV footage he had brought with him for the meeting. "Has the League come across any such persons?"

"Not that I'm aware of. I will consult with my father," she said before walking over to the opening, firing an arrow and zip lining down to the street. Once she landed on the ground, she looked back up at him instead of severing the cable. The offer was clear but he declined it. He didn't want anyone to see him ziplining down to the street.

Malcolm remembered the day Ra's Al-Ghul taught his daughter how to do that. A part of him felt guilty then for he should have been teaching his own son in Starling City instead of learning to become an assassin. He justified his actions by reminding himself that he had a purpose and that his ultimate goal would benefit his son and all of the residents in Starling City.

The Malcolm Merlyn that the world knew died when Rebecca died. He had been more than in love with her. Love wasn't a strong enough word to describe what he felt for his wife. He was the person he was because of her and without her in his life he did not know how to go on living. The only thing he had been able to latch on to was revenge. The person that killed Rebecca had to pay for what he did.

A police officer gave him the name of the man they suspected killed his wife. He set out one night to deliver justice himself. He found the man and confronted him in an alley. His old self was pathetically weak and he nearly died at the hand of the same man that killed his wife but due to a stroke of luck he managed to come out on top. He crawled away from the dead body a complete wreck. He sought comfort in arms of his best friend's wife.

He knew that the Glades was a cancer on Starling City and it needed to be removed but he wasn't strong enough. He heard whispers of the League of Assassins and he knew he could achieve the transformation he needed there. It took him a little while to find the base of operation of the League. It was in a place in Asia called Nanda Parbat. He ensured Tommy's needs were taken care of and left. He didn't know about Thea. He only learnt about her existence when he returned to Starling years later.

He returned to Starling city a new man. The city knew him as Malcolm Merlyn but he was Al Sa-Her. He had one purpose, the removal of the cancer that plagued Starling City. Anybody that stood in his way was removed even if that person was his supposed best friend.

He returned to the street below the clock tower the same way he homeless girl was still by the entrance and he sneered at her when she begged for some money. He looked around but Nyssa had already disappeared into the shadows. His work in the Old Glades was completed and he would not stay a second longer than he had to in this place. He quickly retraced his steps a few blocks to where the town car was waiting for him. A quick glance at his watch told him he was going to be late for dinner.

**S-9**

It was 7:05pm and Malcolm had yet to arrive for dinner even though he insisted that everyone had to be present by 7:00pm for dinner. Thea was drumming her fingers idly on the table, Tommy was glaring at a picture on the wall and his mother was on her phone. The staff were patiently waiting at the back of the room to serve dinner. Apparently dinner was only served at seven if Malcolm was there. It didn't matter that the rest of the family was there on time, they still had to wait for him.

"So how was your day Thea?" Oliver asked trying to fill the silence.

"Seriously, we're doing that?" Tommy asked with disdain.

Oliver turned his gaze on his brother, "This whole dinner at seven thing may be annoying and inconvenient but I do genuinely enjoy hearing about what's going on in everybody's life. I want to know if Thea had a good day at school. I want to know if she had a bad day and who caused it so I can have Mr. Diggle kick their ass."

Thea giggled and his mother smiled. Tommy wasn't amused.

"I don't think we should have to be prodded to say a few words to each other. Besides if we start on time, we get to rib Malcolm about breaking his own rule," Oliver pointed out.

"I'm on board for the ribbing part," Tommy said lifting hand in the air like a boy in school lifting his hand to answer a question the teacher asked.

"Me too," Thea agreed.

Moira sighed and put her phone down. "Thea honey, how was your day?"

"My day was normal, class, class, class and more class. Nobody to beat up. What about you Ollie?" Thea looked across the table at her brother.

"Another day of reading project reports on prototypes I don't understand," he quipped.

"Perhaps you should ask Walter to assign you a scientific advisor?" Moira suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Malcolm said sweeping into the room. He sat at the head of the table and placed his napkin on his lap. That was the signal for their meal to be served and the staff went into a flurry of activity. Malcolm wasted no time starting his inquisition. "Thea how was your day?"

"You're late we already covered that," Thea said with a proud smirk.

Malcolm arched his eyebrow.

"Yeah Dad, you're late," Tommy added. "And you didn't even have the curtesy to apologise to us?"

"You always lecture us about responsibility and the consequences of your actions. Well you're late, you don't get to hear how our day has been. We're actually on to you," Thea snarked. She ignored the fact that Tommy and her mother hadn't spoken about their day yet.

"How was your day _**dad**_?" Tommy asked acidly.

Malcolm looked like he was forced to eat a sour lemon. "I apologise for my tardiness. I will endeavour for it not to happen again. My day has been fairly interesting and I'm quite confident that the little issues that were bugging me over the last few weeks will be resolved soon."

"What issues?" Tommy asked curiously. As far as he knew everything was running perfectly at the company. Their latest audit report had been good.

Malcolm didn't answer him, choosing instead to redirect the conversation towards Tommy, "I assume you have told them you're moving out?"

"You're moving out!" Thea squealed in surprise.

Moira didn't show any reaction to the news and Oliver continued cutting into his steak. He was aware of Tommy's determination to move out but he hadn't actively asked his brother about it. Whatever decision Tommy made he would support him.

"I was just about to get to that," Tommy promised as he looked at his sister guiltily.

"Where to?" Thea asked.

"I got a loft downtown. It's nice. I might actually invite you over to dinner one night," he said leaning over and knocking his shoulder against hers.

"That sounds lovely Tommy," Moira said gracefully.

Tommy smirked, "How about Wednesday, 7:13pm on the dot?"

Malcolm smirked, "We'll be there. Though I would like to know when you learnt to cook?"

"Cook?" Tommy repeated. Perhaps he hadn't thought that invitation through properly.

"Yes, you don't have a maid," Malcolm pointed out.

"I'll get Helena to help me," Tommy said without thinking.

"Oooo we finally get to meet the girlfriend then?" Thea asked excitedly.

"No!" were the first words out of Tommy's mouth. There was no way in hell he wanted Helena to meet his family.

"We look forward to meeting your girlfriend," Moira said pleasantly.

"Does this mean Oliver is moving out too?" Thea asked. Oliver could tell from the glint in her eyes she was calculating when she would be able to move out as well.

"No, he's not," Moira answered for Oliver. She levelled him with her steely gaze.

For whatever reason he didn't understand yet, Oliver knew his mother needed him home and he felt obliged to comply. "I'm not going anywhere Thea," he said to her. "I think we're still getting to know each other again and it's far too soon to move out."

Moira smiled happily and Thea returned to eating her food.

"There is something I wanted to mention to you mom. I know you handle all of our charity work. Sara's gym has weekly tournaments to keep kids off the streets. I was hoping that I could sponsor one. I think it would also be a great promotion event for the community centre as well."

"Perhaps since the two of you are so fond of Sara Lance, you could take some self-defence classes from her. She certainly seems tougher than the two of you put together," Malcolm quipped.

"That sounds like a lovely idea Oliver," Moira said before turning to Tommy, "You should also find something charitable to do. I can forward you a list of upcoming events and perhaps you and Helena could go to one."

"I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. Let's see how I pull off dinner first," Tommy said with a grimace.

**S-10**

It was approaching midnight by the time the IT department finished the recent upgrade of MQI's systems. A preliminary check found everything working and Mr. Tockman sent an e-mail to all staff advising of the upgrades and asking staff to notify the department if any issue popped up. As was his custom, Walter was in his office upstairs waiting for notification of a successful upgrade. Mr. Tockman asked Felicity to go up and inform Mr. Steele about the success.

Felicity gladly accepted the task. She hadn't seen him since he had told her to stop researching Tempest. During her research for Oliver she came across some connections to Tempest. Of the six firms that tendered for the interior decoration of the centre, three of the firms were part of larger conglomerates whose head offices were not locally based so she disregarded them immediately. The other three firms were locally owned and run, but she round that two of the firms were sending money to offshore accounts. On a hunch, she ran the account numbers against accounts that she knew were associated with the Tempest group and was stunned when she found a match. She had just made her first real breakthrough in her search. Cassandra Bowen, wife of Dr. Carter Bowen and Elizabeth Fuller, wife of Max Fuller were somehow involved in Tempest.

She arrived at Walter's office to find that not only was he there but his Executive Assistant was also behind her desk. That was unusual. She never stayed behind when Walter did. He always insisted his assistant go home as babysitting was not a part of her job. Walter always made sure he treated his employees fairly and Felicity thought Walter should be running the entire company. He never looked down on her for her babbles.

She heard horror stories about Malcolm Merlyn. He was a strict vindictive man. He supposedly had ruined many careers. Rumour was he told his son and Oliver they each had to fire one person when they assumed their positions within the company. That was why Oliver had fired, Mark Scheffer. Tommy supposedly fired three people in his department. She heard the secretaries gossiping that Merlyn Jr. was worse than this father. Having met him, she wondered about that. He seemed like a nice guy. If he was worse than his father was Malcolm Merlyn actually a nice guy?

Walter saw her through the glass walls of his office and he came out to her.

"Ms. Smoak, good evening. I imagine everything went well?" he asked in that polite British tone of his.

"Yes Mr. Steele. The update was successful and we don't anticipate any problems in the future with it," Felicity informed him.

"Excellent news, we can all go home now. Do I need to call security to escort any of you to your cars?" he asked looking between Felicity and his assistant.

"I'll walk down with you," his assistant said to him.

Felicity realised she was not going to be able to speak with him alone. "I'm fine. I just need to collect my stuff in my office and then I'll head home."

She was going to need to find a way to get Walter alone to inform him about her latest discovery.

**S-11**

Bright and early the next day Oliver was seated in her office with his bodyguard standing by the door.

"I need to add personal internet researcher for Oliver Queen to my title," Felicity joked and he just stared blankly at her. He didn't seem to be in a joking mood that morning and she fidgeted nervously.

"Do you have a recommendation?" he asked getting straight to the point.

He was definitely in a grouchy mood.

"Yes Cara Stewart, she could really use the funds. The other larger firms have been squeezing her out. Her daughter donates to the homeless shelter in the Glades. They seem like really good people. Cara also runs an adult literacy programme at Iron Heights where she teaches the inmates to read. Their price isn't the lowest but the quality of their products is excellent. I rather liked the designs she presented. I thought the colour schemed matched what you wanted to achieve with the centre."

Oliver nodded.

"Thank you," he said standing up and leaving abruptly.

That was strange usually he was a lot friendlier with her. She wondered what had crawled up his ass? A few trouble calls came in throughout the day as some staff was having trouble using the system after the upgrade. At lunch time Felicity decided to take a peek at Oliver's schedule to see if he had indeed listened to her suggestion. She got a warm feeling in her chest when she saw an appointment with Ms. Stewart for the next day at the construction site. She liked using her special skills for good.

She was surprised when just before closing time, Oliver again returned to her office bodyguard in tow.

He placed a thick report in front of her, "What is this?" she asked.

"It's a report from one of the projects in QC," Oliver said. "Take a look."

She nodded her head and picked up the file. She looked at the executive summary and the table of contents before she flipped through to the results section, "It looks like the team that was working on the exoskeleton project screwed up. According to this latest test result they made an error in the design of the lightweight metal and it can't even stop a bullet," she revealed casually.

"Oh that's what the report says," Oliver exclaimed. For the last three days he'd been scratching his head trying to figure what fatigue and stress had to do with a metal suit. "All that just to say it's worthless," he asked pointing to the thick report.

"Yeap," Felicity says nodding her head. "They are basically trying to justify why the suit can't withstand a bullet and why it wasn't their fault it turned out that way but if I remember correctly, some of the engineers in the project had stated this would happen but the chief engineer overruled them."

A smile tugged at Oliver's lips, "You're hired."

"Hired for what? I already have a job Oliver. I work down here in the IT department," Felicity stated with a touch of panic in her voice.

"Now you have a job upstairs on the Executive floor. You will be my Science Advisor. HR will contact you with the details. You start on Monday," he informed her.

"This is crazy Oliver! You don't need a Science Advisor," Felicity countered.

"I need someone to advise me and explain the things that I don't understand. The pay is better, the benefits are better and you get to look at this handsome face all day," he pitched jovially.

"I could look at your handsome face all day!" she said dreamily before a horrified expression crossed her face, "I was not supposed to say that out loud. There are a lot of other qualified more experienced people here that could help you. Are you sure you want me?"

"Yes, I trust you to guide me properly. Give it a chance, if you don't like it you can go back to the IT department," Oliver tried to reason with her.

When she didn't look like she was budging, he begged, "Please."

She sighed, "Ok one week."

"One month and I'll see you on Monday!" he said standing up. "Remember Executive floor."

"You do realise that there are no open offices on that floor right?" Felicity asked him.

"I moved the innovations manager closer to his employees. Maybe he'll be more innovative now," Oliver replied.

"Oliver! That's kind of unfair to the manager," Felicity said horrified.

"Why? He was always making snarky comments about my understanding of the projects. Granted it's not without merit but I'm making an effort to fix that. He can't expect me to go down 18 floors to speak to my advisor!"

"You could call me on the phone or send me an e-mail," she pointed out.

"I'm more of a face to face guy," he replied.

"I noticed," slipped out of Felicity's mouth followed by a furious blush. She could see his bodyguard in the back was really enjoying the scene.

"Besides I did do some research before making the decision. At Kord Industries, Wayne Enterprises and Luthor Corp, their teams are all on one floor. Luthor Corp is the industry leader. They get the most military contracts and patent the most prototypes each year. I'm following the industry standard. Malcolm and Walter both endorsed my decision."

Felicity's eyes opened wide, "Mr. Merlyn knows that a nobody IT girl has moved to the Executive Floor?"

"Felicity, you're not a nobody. Mr. Tockman fought to keep you. Even though you're going to be helping me there are still some cyber-security projects you will be working on for the company. I'll see you on Monday."

Felicity watched him walk away. She had just gone from IT grunt to Science Advisor to the Vice-President of a major conglomerate, oh the office rumour mill was going to have a field day with this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I'm still amazed that after so many breaks in between chapters people are still reading this story!


	10. The List

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Arrow.

**S-1**

Monday morning arrived far quicker than Felicity expected. Her alarm blared with its usual annoying screech and she threw it against the wall for reminding her that it was time to get up and face the music. Today was her first day as Oliver's Science Advisor. She was expecting it to be the worst day of her life. MQI had a very competitive environment. Malcolm Merlyn demanded excellence and if excellence wasn't shown, you were fired. Promotions were hard to come by when everyone in the organisation was talented. She had to write twenty successful programmes to earn her office in the IT department not to mention successfully complete all of the other standard work an IT employee did.

She had worked very hard to earn her seniority within the IT department. Now she was being 'promoted' to a position that never existed before, Science Advisor She would be working with a Vice-President that knew nothing about the work that went on in that building. Her co-workers were going to have a field day with her 'promotion' to a non-post. Really what would she be doing? Would she be teaching college level science to a college drop out? Maybe she might even have to start with basic high school science. It didn't help that said Vice-President had a reputation of enjoying female company. Everyone was going to think she was sleeping with him!

She could have said no to Oliver but for some strange reason she trusted him. Every time he came to her for help, he didn't seem like that man in the tabloids. He was very different. He seemed to be very dedicated to helping The Old Glades and she felt honoured to have input into Verdant. If felt wrong to decline his offer. He promised her that if she didn't like the position she could return to her old job in a month and she believed him. She put on her best suit for her first day on the executive floor. With one final look in the mirror, she set out to start her day.

Felicity arrived at the MQI building at her usual time and spent the obligatory five minutes looking for a parking spot. The basement parking was full, again, and she ended up in MQI's parking facility one block away. She refused to come to work an hour early just to get a spot in the basement. Her sleep was much more important to her. On her way from the parking facility she stopped in the coffee shop across from MQI and picked up her favourite brew. She was going to need it to get through the day.

She walked into the lobby and tried to clear security but her badge was no longer working. HR had apparently revoked her old badge since she would be staring in a new position. She was informed that a HR clerk needed to be called down to escort her up to the HR department. Felicity rolled her eyes at the security measure. She was forced to wait in the lobby, like other brand new employees, for five minutes before someone finally came to get her. Sometimes she hated the rigid policies at MQI.

Once she finally got into the HR department she was given a pen, the new contract and shown the dotted line. Felicity insisted she needed to read the contract first and asked for ten minutes alone to review it. While she trusted Oliver, she didn't trust the other people that would have been involved in the issuing of her new contract. She needed to ensure she wasn't selling her soul to the devil. The first thing she noticed was the pay was three times her old salary. That was definitely a plus. As Oliver promised he had written in an option for her to return to her old post after a month. The perks he mentioned were pension (which she was already part of), inclusion in the executive health plan (she would be bumped up from general employee), access to the MQI baseball box at the Star City Rockets stadium (not that she would ever be using that, baseball really wasn't her thing), her own parking space in the basement (that was the best perk), company car (she was on the fence about the car since she loved her red mini), company phone and laptop, (she was neither here nor there about those things) and free use of the MQI gym (again another thing she probably wouldn't use).

Surprisingly the scope of work for her position was well defined. She would be responsible for receiving all technical reports that were submitted to the Vice-President and communicating his feedback to the departments. She was authorised to request any information required for the proper interpretation of the reports. Each report was to be submitted to the Vice-President with a detailed analysis of the project that she conducted. She was required to attend all of the meetings that the Vice-President attended. It was also clearly stated that she only needed to follow the Vice-Presidents instructions as it related to projects at MQI. Any instructions not pertaining directly to MQI projects, she would not have to adhere to. Whoever wrote the contract probably thought he was using her for sex, fat chance. She wasn't prostituting herself for any job.

After reading and internalising the contract, she decided it was safe to sign on the dotted line. She was given a new ID card with a new picture they made her take even though she told them she could just transfer her old picture onto the new card. She immediately missed the old one. The new picture was much worse than the previous one. Her hair looked messy, and it looked like she was glaring at the camera, which in all honestly she probably was.

Oliver had told her that she would be in the office next to his but he hadn't told her that his office had moved. There was a major reshuffle of the managers on the executive floor. Besides the Innovations Manager being moved down to the floor his staff occupied to make way for her, the R&D Director's office was moved from next to Walter to the other side of the floor and Oliver was moved next to Walter. She was sandwiched in between Oliver and the in-house legal consul.

Her office, while not as large as Oliver's, was still bigger than the one in the IT department. What she didn't expect were the tall piles of folders on her desk. There was no room for her to put anything on her desk, in fact when she sat in her chair she couldn't even see her computer screen because a pile was blocking her.

"Felicity, you're finally here," she heard Oliver say. She had to stand up to see him leaning against the doorframe with that devil may care attitude.

"Remember I had to report to HR first?" Felicity said using her hands to point downwards to where the HR department would be located in the building.

"Yeah but I thought it would take two minutes max to sign your contract and come up," he responded. He kicked away from the wall and came to stand on the other side of her desk.

Felicity's mouth fell open, "You didn't think I would want to actually read the contract?"

"You signed the one before. I didn't think you would have a problem with this one," he admitted with a shrug. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down at the folders on her desk.

"I still had to read it to make sure. This one did have many extra perks," she said with a smile.

He looked up at her with a sparkle in his eye, "I know."

His eyes were such an intense colour of blue. She rather liked it. He broke her stare to look down at the folders.

"This first thing I need you to do is read these reports and summarise the important facts in English," Oliver stated.

Felicity cracked a smile, "You sure you don't want it in Klingon or dwarvish?" she joked.

Oliver stared at her unamused and she suddenly felt like she had overstepped the boss/employee relationship. She started to panic. She didn't want to get fired on her first day! She looked down at the folders and tried to decide where to start. She figured she would need use of her computer at some point during the day so she should probably start with the stack that blocked her view of the computer screen.

"I'll just start with this one," she said looking back up to find that Oliver was gone. She turned to her right and could see through the glass wall that separated them that he was seated in his office already.

"Wow," she said to herself. "How'd he move so fast?"

* * *

**S-2**

_Adam Hunt_

_James Holder_

_Justine Claybourne_

_Marcus Redman_

_Harold Backman_

_Guillermo Barrera_

_Nelson Ravich_

_Jason Brodeur_

_Ted Daniels_

_Frank Bertinelli_

_Scott Morgan_

_Warren Patel_

_John Nickel_

_Cyrus Vanch_

_Anthony Venza_

_Edward Rasmus_

_Isabel Rochev_

_Hannibal Bates_

Oliver looked over the list of names he compiled from 's video sessions with his patients. There was no order to the priority of his list. They were written down as he scanned each video. These were the criminals that used their money to stay out of jail. Only someone like him could make them pay. The victims of these people deserved justice and he was determined to be the one to give it to them.

The first name on the list was Adam Hunt. He was the CEO of Hunt Multinational. He had defrauded a local company out of millions and caused the collapse of that company. Over 500 people lost their jobs because of his greed. His lawyers made him untouchable. An organisation had been created to try to help the 500 that lost their jobs and Oliver was determined to get the money that Adam Hunt stole and donate it to the organisation.

Hunt lived on the top floor of a building in Pacific Heights, an upper class neighbourhood on the edge of town. Oliver noted that the camera system was not as extensive in that neighbourhood as it was in the core of the city. The rich people probably didn't want to be followed around the same way the people of The Old Glades didn't. The rich had the money to persuade the powers at be not to place too many cameras in their area. The poor people of The Old Glades had to violently remove the cameras until the city stop setting them up. It highlighted how the two classes solved their problems.

Oliver had a route plotted from the mansion to Pacific Heights and back. He would infiltrate the building through the back door and then enter the elevator shaft. He would climb up to the top floor and then manually open the elevator door. The trick was doing that while no guards where nearby. Once he was inside he would take out the security and force Hunt to make the transfer. He had the bank information written on a piece of paper that he could tuck into his glove.

The sound of clicking heels in the corridor in front of his office drew his attention away from his infiltration plan. That was the tenth group of secretaries that had come up to the Executive floor to gawk at Felicity. The increased traffic flow was annoying him. He looked across into Felicity's office and she seemed to be unaware of the group that was passing in front of her office staring at her as if she was a fish in a bowl. Her head was buried in a report just like the time before and the time before that when he looked across. She had finished one full stack of reports already and had made significant progress on a second stack. He had a series of e-mails in his box with summaries for several projects. He had read one so far and he was actually pleased with the way she explained it to him.

The group of secretaries circled around and headed back to the elevator. One had her phone in her hand and was either taking photos or video of Felicity in her new office. Something snapped inside of him. He could no longer sit there and watch people treat her so disrespectfully. He stood and strode towards his door and then out into the corridor. He caught up to the group by the elevator.

"Ladies," he said with a charming smile.

"Mr. Queen," they said surprised before they decided to flutter their eyes and look sultry.

"I don't believe you work on this floor," he commented casually shoving his hands into his pockets lest he strangle one of them.

"No we're from …"

He cut them off before they could finish, "The next set of people I see come up here to gawk at Felicity will be fired because they obviously have no work to do. Spread the word and if I see more people, you will be fired too for not following a direct instruction. Have I made myself clear?"

They swallowed nervously, "Yes sir."

"Have a nice day," he said with a large smile.

He turned away and walked straight to Felicity's office.

"I'm fairly sure lunch came and went and you didn't eat," he said casually.

"Oh it's that late!" she exclaimed looking up from the report.

"You know you don't have to finish all these reports today?" his hands pointing to the mass of reports on her desk.

"I know, they can't all finish today. I have several queries in about some of the reports," she admitted.

"Ah so even you don't understand them!" he exclaimed.

She gave him a small smile, "Some are _ **too**_ technical. They shouldn't be coming up here. You're not an expert in these fields. I don't know how they would expect you to be able to understand all the principals involved, not to mention the jargon. I've had to go through MQI's e-library and read several sections of engineering books to understand what they're saying."

"Do you like Big Belly Burger?" he asked.

"I love Big Belly Burger," she replied. "Why?"

"Great let's go," he said using his arm to signal that she should follow him.

She stayed still and chewed on her bottom lip, "Uh, I probably shouldn't be seen going to lunch with the boss on my first day of work," her eyes darted to the empty corridor behind him before returning to stare at him.

Oliver realised she had noticed the groups but she had chosen to steadfastly ignore them and focus on her work. His respect for her grew.

"I'll get Diggle to collect our orders and we'll eat here. Think of it as an additional perk of being my Science Advisor," he suggested smugly.

"Ok, I'll take one Big Belly Buster with fries and a chocolate milkshake," she said reaching into her purse to retrieve the funds.

"No it's your first day of work. My treat," Oliver left her office before she could argue with him about it but her voice still floated out her open door saying that she could more than afford to pay for her burger.

He moved quickly to the security post Diggle set up on the floor to keep an eye on him.

"I need you to make a run to Big Belly Burger," Oliver said pulling out his wallet.

Diggle stared blankly at him. "I am your bodyguard not your personal food delivery servant."

"So that's a no?" Oliver asked and Diggle continued to stare at him blankly.

Oliver shrugged, "Then I guess we are both going to Big Belly Burger."

He walked away towards the elevator and Diggle followed behind him. Diggle brought the car around and they headed off to Big Belly Burger. Two minutes into the drive Oliver realised they were going to the one in the entertainment district.

"Isn't the one in The Old Glades closer?" Oliver asked.

"I have strict orders to keep you out of The Old Glades," Diggle revealed his eyes glancing briefly into the rear view mirror to look at him.

"My community centre is located in The Old Glades," Oliver protested.

"That is the only place in The Old Glades we're allowed to go," Diggle revealed in an even tone.

"I can't visit Sara either?" Oliver asked perturbed.

"I don't know who Sara is," Diggle admitted glancing at him through the rear view mirror again.

"I'll have to talk to Malcolm about this," Oliver stated unhappy.

"Mrs. Queen is the one who issued these instructions," Diggle informed him.

"I talk to my mother then,"Oliver said folding his hands in front of his chest and staring out the window sullenly. Events seemed to be conspiring to put him in a foul mood that day.

* * *

**S-3**

Tommy stood alone under the shade of a huge Oak tree. He was on an incline that gave him a good view of the funeral happening 500 feet away from him. He could see the casket being lowered into the grave. The people gathered around the grave were crying, the mother was inconsolable holding on to her other daughter as if her life depended on it. It was Tommy's fault that the woman's eldest daughter was being lowered into the cold earth. It was his reckless decision that caused this.

Her name was Kristen Gerber, 21, college student at Star City University studying Marketing. Her story had dominated the news headlines for the last few days since she passed away in the ICU of Star City General Hospital, the victim of an assassination attempt on Malcolm Merlyn the night of his children's welcome back party. She was the middle child of a poor couple from the Glades. She earned herself a scholarship and worked two jobs to stay in college. She was in her last year. Ironically the news said she had summer interned at MQI twice and had a guaranteed job waiting for her when she graduated. His throwing star ended all of that.

The news interviewed her friends and family. Everyone described her as a very loving person. She and several of her friends were excited to be attending his party. Her boyfriend was on the VIP list and she was looking forward to meeting Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn. A sick feeling settled deep in the pit of his stomach. No one should look forward to meeting him. He was not worth it. He didn't bring anything good into anyone's life. He only brought heartache and pain. At least with Helena, she was already jaded and tainted and he couldn't possibly make things worse for her.

The last funeral he had been to was Mariko's. Tommy clenched his fist as he thought about her. She would be very disappointed in him. He had killed a civilian, an innocent that still had plenty things to contribute to society. The night before he pulled out the locked chest that he had at the back of his closet and removed his list. He added her name to the death side of the list. The weight of her death was far greater than any of the other people he had murdered.

As the crowd started to disperse he glanced down at his watch, he had been gone 30 minutes. He had another 10 minutes before Drakon would be checking his office for him. He needed to get back to work before his babysitter realised that he had been taking advantage of the blind spots in MQI's building security to leave during the day.

He walked to the main road and hollered a cab, his phone started to ring and the caller ID revealed an unknown caller. He wearily answered the phone.

"Hello," he said cautiously, his eyes glancing around to see if anyone was watching him as he entered the cab.

"I'm sorry Tommy," Lyla said on the other end of the call, "I know you didn't mean to hurt her."

He spotted Lyla a little further down the road getting into a black SUV. She was dressed in black, phone to her ear, and she must have been watching the funeral like him.

"Isn't the road to hell paved with good intentions?" Tommy quipped. He quickly told the cab driver where to drop him off.

Lyla sighed heavily, "The important thing is that you learn from this experience. There is a reason the term collateral damage exists. Innocents dying as a result of missions is not something new."

"No matter what you say Lyla, I know this is unacceptable. I should have never taken the shot with so many people around. I forgot what Mariko and Tatsu taught me. You must always assess your opponent's skills. I assumed Malcolm had none and I was wrong. He blocked the star and an innocent girl is dead because I didn't bother to understand my opponent. I will not make that mistake again," his tone was harsh but the volume of his voice was low so that the cab driver couldn't eavesdrop.

"I didn't think you would. Your one month suspension is nearly up. Are you ready to resume your mission?" she asked.

"Yes," Tommy said determined.

"Inform Oliver, I want to meet with both of you this weekend. We need to go over the status report, Waller has questions."

Tommy rolled his eyes, when did Waller not have questions. "Speaking of Oliver," Tommy said lightly, a complete shift from the tone he had before, "I met your Johnny."

"Tommy you continue that train of thought and Oliver will be cleaning up your brain matter from the floor of our next meeting spot," Lyla threatened.

Tommy ignored her, "He's quite tall and muscly. Exactly the kind of guy that would be able to handle a woman like you."

"A woman like me? What is that supposed to mean Thomas King Merlyn?" Lyla's angry voice asked.

"Don't worry. I'll find out if he's seeing anyone for you," Tommy then hung up the phone before Lyla could respond. He loved pissing her off.

The cab arrived at the parking entrance for MQI headquarters and Tommy slipped under the barrier and headed to the elevators. It was a quick ride up and after checking that the floor was clear he walked briskly to his office. Just as he took a set behind his desk Drakon's head popped into his office to check on him.

"Still here dude," Tommy said nonchalantly as he pretended to work on a report.

The door closed and Tommy leaned back on his chair with a smile on his face. Another successful evasion of his bodyguard. It was such a fun game.

* * *

**S-4**

Tommy was reviewing financial projections for the estimated benefit MQI would receive by absorbing a manufacturing facility in China. This project had been started the previous year and his father had made several trips to China to negotiate with the owners. The negotiations had stalled as the owners were quoting a price that was more than the facility was worth. The financial gurus at the company did some fancy calculations to show that based on the purchase price and operational costs, MQI would not start to turn a profit on the deal until 15 years later. That was completely unacceptable and Malcolm tasked Tommy with the responsibility of working with the gurus to create an offer that was more beneficial to MQI.

The intercom on his phone buzzed and his assistant announced, "Mr. Merlyn you have a visitor."

Tommy picked up the phone, "Really?" A visitor meant a break and he could really do with a break. All of the figures on the page were beginning to blur together and he couldn't tell ten billion from ten dollars. "Send the person in right away." He knew for sure it wasn't his father because his father never went through his secretary. Malcolm would knock directly on the door and then enter.

The door to his office opened and his secretary entered followed by Moira. Tommy stood from his desk and gave his step mother an appropriate greeting. "What a nice surprise," Tommy crooned, "I wasn't expecting the Mayor of Star City to visit me today."

Moira gave him a polite smile, "I'm not here in that capacity," she turned to look at his assistant and Tommy dismissed her right away.

Moira took a seat in front of his desk, her back ramrod straight, her hands folded daintily in her lap. She looked like she could be having tea with the Queen. Tommy returned to his seat while she looked around his office paying particular attention to the portrait on the wall of Japanese Sakura tree before she looked directly at him.

"How are you Tommy?" she asked in that neutral searching tone of hers.

"I'm good," Tommy responded with a large smile.

"Is everything going well at your new place?" she inquired.

"Everything is good," he reassured her rocking back into his chair. He loved to rock back in his chair. It was far more comfortable.

Moira watched him critically, "I assume that you have dinner under control for tonight?"

"Dinner?" he questioned sitting up suddenly. Did he forget something? Kristen's death had dominated his thoughts over the last few days.

"You invited us to dinner at exactly 7:13pm tonight," she reminded him with a frown.

"Shit, I forgot!" he exclaimed. He hadn't even been eating dinner when he went home.

Moira let out a disappointed sigh and Tommy felt horrible that he forgot. "Give me your keys. Raisa and I will handle the preparations for tonight," she instructed.

Giving his keys to Moira wasn't an idea that exactly appealed to him. "I think I have to take a rain check on dinner. Perhaps next week instead?"

"Nonsense, we're very much looking forward to dinner at your place tonight," Moira insisted much to Tommy's displeasure.

"Moira, I don't think you understand, while I consider my apartment fully furnished you might find it a bit bare," Tommy explained hesitantly.

"Bare?" she questioned with a slight tilt of her head.

"I didn't invest in a dining room table for dinner. I wasn't expecting to be hosting any large dinners but then I opened my big mouth and invited you to come to dinner and I forgot to get a table in time for today," he grudgingly admitted to his stepmother.

Moira brushed aside his concerns, "Raisa and I have it under control. Keys please."

Realising that he was fighting a losing battle Tommy chose to surrender. He stood and pulled his loft keys from his pockets. The area of his loft where he kept his sensitive possessions was securely locked and there was no way Moira would get in if she decided to casually poke around.

"Raisa will be there to let you in when you get home. I hope we'll be able to meet Ms. Bertinelli tonight," Moira commented casually as she took the keys from him.

"Nope, not happening. I don't want her anywhere near my father," Tommy replied seriously.

Moira sighed again, "I think you should pay a visit to your old house. You might find it quite illuminating where your father is concerned. I'll see you tonight at 7:13pm."

After she left his office, Tommy found it difficult to focus on the financials. He remembered the first time he saw a financial report, he was reading the numbers without looking at the column headings. He thought QC spent $150 on salaries until Robert pointed out to him that the column was in millions and the figure was really $150 million. In that short time on the boat he had gained quite a bit of insight into how billion-dollar corporations were run.

Even though boarding the _Gambit_ all those years ago led to several traumatic circumstances for him and Oliver, he couldn't imagine not having experienced it. What would his life be like if he didn't get on the _Gambit_? Would he have straightened out? Maybe. His father was strict with Thea. Malcolm might have eventually gotten upset with him and kicked him out. He would have then had to live on the street and date the bag lady that lived in the cardboard box over from him. He would be one of those homeless men living in The Old Glades that his father despised. He could definitely picture his father despising him.

Perhaps it was for the best that he boarded the _Gambit_ that day. He was currently in a position of power that he could use to help the people of The Old Glades and that bag lady girlfriend.

* * *

**S-5**

When Tommy arrived home, there as a brand new spanking 8 person dining table taking up room in his loft. His sofa set had been rearranged to the right side of the room so that the table was on the left, close to the kitchen. Moira did an excellent job choosing a set and placing it in his loft because it looked like it had always been there. Besides the actual table itself, nothing else had magically appeared in his loft, nothing had disappeared either. The company files he had strewn about the loft still seemed to be in the same position implying that Moira had not snooped.

Raisa was buzzing about the kitchen. Tommy moved over to the island and tried to pick an olive out of a quinoa salad and Raisa slapped his hand away.

"Mister Tommy no! This is your first dinner. Everything must be perfect," she insisted, her voice heavy with her Russian accent.

"It doesn't have to be," a grumpy Tommy responded. He really wanted that olive.

"Clean up those folders and magazines you have all over the place and then bath and change. Your father will be here at 7:13pm sharp, and everything will be perfect," Raisa said placing heavy emphasis on perfect.

"Can I at least get a little taste," Tommy asked reaching into the salad again. This time Raisa picked up a spatula and tapped him hard on the knuckles before proceeding to chase him out of the kitchen with her spatula.

Tommy reluctantly started making his loft look presentable. He carried the folders and magazines up to his bedroom where he dumped them on the reading table next to his armchair. He was fairly sure that he hadn't made his bed that morning nor did he have the enormous amount of pillows that now adorned his made bed. Moira probably couldn't help herself and just had to spruce up his bedroom. Helena would probably be furious to see the new additions to the bedroom she picked out. He pulled the extraneous pillows off the bed and tossed them in his wardrobe. He would figure out what to do with them later.

An hour later he returned to the kitchen and received a long list of instructions from Raisa. There were two dishes in the oven that she left there to keep warm. When the timer went off he needed to put on the oven mitts, open the oven door and put them at the positions she had pre-labelled on the island. Dinner would be buffet style with guests helping themselves from the dishes on the island. She had two bottles of wine chilling in the refrigerator and he was to serve the wine during dinner. She then kissed him goodbye on the cheek and hustled out of the loft.

As the clock struck 7:13pm there was a knock on his door. The dick was one time. Tommy opened the door to find Malcolm dressed impeccably in his suit with a bottle of wine in his hand. Thea pushed passed Malcolm and Tommy to barge into the loft.

"We've been standing outside for the last five minutes waiting for 7:13pm. I demand a drink and a tour," she said looking around the room.

"Thea," Malcolm reprimanded, "You're supposed to wait for an invitation to enter."

"We have already been invited for dinner. We're not vampires that we need the owner to tell us come in to cross the threshold," Thea protested.

Malcolm opened his mouth to remind Thea about manners and Tommy decided to save his sister from the speech, "Thea's always welcomed. She can enter any time she pleases."

His sister actually stuck her tongue out at Malcolm.

"Malcolm you're blocking the entrance," Oliver's frustrated voice said.

Malcolm gave Oliver a tight smile and stepped inside followed by Moira and then Oliver with a very expensive bottle of whiskey.

"House warming gift," Oliver explained as he handed the bottle to Tommy.

"Great," Tommy replied. "Always use for a great bottle of whiskey."

"My tour?" Thea asked impatiently tapping her foot on the hard wood floor.

Tommy looked between his sister and the others. If he remembered correctly he was supposed to offer them drinks first but Thea didn't look like she was willing to wait that long.

"I'll get everyone drinks while you show Thea around," Oliver offered.

"Thanks," Tommy said before focusing on Thea.

They walked around downstairs before he took her upstairs to the guest bedroom and then his bedroom.

"I like it," Thea admitted sitting on the edge of his bed. "I can definitely skip school and come here instead."

"Thea," Tommy warned. He was leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom watching her reactions closely.

"I'm joking. Malcolm would know if I did that. School should apparently be one of my priorities. I think he has the next 60 years of my life worked out," Thea mused.

"Thea is he forcing you to do things you don't want to do?" Tommy asked concerned.

"Besides forcing me to go to school? No," Thea responded collapsing back on the bed with her arms opened wide. She stared up at the white ceiling.

"I can't help you with that one. School is kind of important," Tommy admitted.

"Yeah so he keeps telling me. It would probably be better if he actually liked at least one of my friends. He doesn't like any of them. He keeps saying they're raised with different values. They'll encourage me in the wrong things. Megan overdosed last year and he banned me from going to her house. He would not even let me visit her in the hospital."

Tommy frowned, "Thea are you doing drugs?"

"What? No!" Thea exclaimed sitting up to look at him."I know better but you sound just like him. Nobody trusts me to do the right thing. It's like you all think that the moment a friend tells me to jump off a bridge, I'll actually do it!"

"I can't believe I'm siding with him but Oliver and I were known for convincing our friends to do some shady stuff. Many parents at school disliked us because of the trouble we got their kids into. He might have a point. Malcolm has seen how easily Oliver and I convinced our classmates to do crap."

"Whatever," Thea said with a roll of her eyes.

"Of the little I've seen of your friends, they did seem nice though," Tommy said trying to find some middle ground with Thea.

"They'll be happy to hear that. Their new goal in life is to date either you or Oliver," she revealed in a sardonic tone.

Tommy frowned, "That isn't a very loft goal."

"Maybe not, but at least you're spoken for. Say wasn't your girlfriend supposed to be here?" Thea asked looking around the bedroom as if she expected Helena to jump out from behind an object.

"I thought it best to see how the first dinner goes before we start adding significant others to the guest list," Tommy stated wisely.

"I doubt Malcolm would allow me to invite my boyfriend to dinner," Thea ruminated.

"You have a boyfriend?" Tommy enquired darkly.

"Of course, I'm Thea Queen-Merlyn. I can't be seen in school without having a boy toy on my arm. I do have a reputation to uphold!" a fiery Thea admitted.

"Thea, boys your age they are only interested in one thing," Tommy started.

Thea rolled her eyes again, "I'm not some naïve virgin Tommy."

Tommy spluttered, "What?"

Thea jumped off the bed and walked towards him patting him on the back as she squeezed passed him out of the bedroom, "Ollie probably has my glass of orange juice ready."

Tommy stood still in shock. From what he understood Malcolm had a security detail on Thea at all times. How on earth could she have a boyfriend much less have had sex? He needed to pay a visit to her high school to see exactly what her security detail was doing during the day.

* * *

**S-6**

Quentin Lance stared at the dead body in front of him. There were two puncture marks on the side of the neck and the coroner suspected the body was drained of blood. That was not something they regularly saw. In fact since he joined Tempest and they cleaned up half The Glades, crime had dramatically fallen. The only real crime was that in The Old Glades and the usual drunks in the entertainment district. The organised crime syndicates didn't drop bodies and mostly stayed out of his hair per the agreement that had been forged.

As a cop it did bother him to know they were working with criminals to achieve this peace but when he saw his neighbour's grandchildren riding their bikes peacefully up and down the street it was worth it. A recent national headline was about a four year old girl that was innocently caught in gunfire between two rival gangs while she played in her front yard. Star City didn't have gang violence anymore. His daughters were safe and his future grandchild was safe.

He looked back at the body on the ground. He would have to report this incident to Tempest immediately. His phone rang and Malcolm Merlyn's face illuminated his screen. Tempest seemed to have already been informed of the development and Quentin surveyed the scene quickly to see who might have relayed the news to Malcolm.

"Lance," Quentin answered with his usual rough greeting.

"Captain, I understand we have an unusual murder," came Malcolm's voice through the phone.

"Body found supposedly drained of blood. Coroner has to confirm with an official autopsy," Lance explained.

"I do not like this. Those other masked men are still unaccounted for and now we have a death under mysterious circumstances. The city isn't paying you to allow criminals to run around and murder people," Malcolm said tersely.

A beat cop caught Lance's attention and he moved the phone away from his ear and covered it with his hand.

"Captain, they're asking for you at a murder scene at a penthouse in Pacific Heights," the beat cop said.

"Pacific Heights?" Lance repeated in disbelief.

"Yes sir," the cop confirmed. "Penthouse belonging to Adam Hunt."

He nodded and put the phone back to his ear. Malcolm was still droning on about what was and wasn't acceptable in his city.

"Merlyn, I'll have to call you back," he said hanging up on the billionaire. Malcolm probably didn't like that but if he wanted him to do his job properly, he needed to let him do it.

Quentin got into one of the squad cars and headed out to Adam Hunt's penthouse. Everything looked normal until you reached the top floor. The elevator opened to a pool of blood that he had to step over. On either side of the elevator door lay dead bodies. One with an arrow in the heart, the other with an arrow through the neck. The crime scene guys were taking photos of everything.

He walked further into the apartment and found more dead guards. Judging from the spent shell casings labelled on the ground, this set had gotten off a few rounds before they died. He looked at the walls and saw bullet holes. He turned to an investigator, "Check to see if the number of casings on the ground match the bullets in the wall. Maybe they hit the guy and some of the blood on the ground belongs to him."

"We're still processing the scene sir," the CSI replied curtly.

Lance continued to explore the penthouse. He found Detective Hall checking the bodies for ID in another room.

"This guy had a lot of security," Lance commented dryly.

"Remember he had a few death threats from some of those 500 people that lost their job," Detective Hall said to him.

"Well looks like someone finally made good on that threat McKenna," Lance said looking around the penthouse.

"Yeah but not before they forced him to drain his bank account,"McKenna revealed pointing to another room off to the side.

"They took all his money?" Quentin questioned in disbelief as he approached the room. He could see through the open doorway an open laptop and a body slumped backward in the chair in front of it. There was an arrow sticking out of his chest. As he circled the desk to view the body closer, he noticed that there was a small glock on the ground besides the chair that must have fallen out of the man's hand when he died.

"The computer screen says transaction complete. When the IT guys and the forensic accountants get their hands on it they'll be able to give us a better idea," McKenna said.

Quentin nodded and returned to the main foyer where most of the CSI's were busy working. He looked around the penthouse at the bodies on the ground. The outer edges of the pools had begun to dry. "These guys have been dead for a few hours. Why is this only now being drawn to my attention," Quentin asked angrily.

"The walls are apparently sound proof. No one heard anything. It was only when the maid arrived to clean an hour ago did someone discover what happened. The responding officers tried to keep it quiet. Something like this getting out could cause a panic in the city," McKenna said justifying the decision that was made.

"I want all reports to come directly to me, put a rush on all the lab work. I want a priority on this one," Quentin ordered roughly. One murder had put Malcolm in a pissy mood, he wondered what the Hunt mess was going to do.

He stepped over the pool of blood in front of the elevator and pressed the ground button. He watched the doors close and stared at his reflection. Two major crimes outside of The Old Glades in one day. It felt like an omen to him. Something bad was coming. He could feel it in his old bones.

* * *

**S-7**

Laurel picked at the rice on her plate. Adam had ordered her favourite wild rice dish from the gourmet place that she loved but her appetite was gone tonight.

"You need to eat honey," Adam reminded her placing his knife and fork down on his plate so that he could focus on her.

"I know but I'm probably just going to throw it up in the morning," she said angrily.

"Doesn't matter, you still have to eat and take your pre-natal vitamins. I don't want anything to happen to you two," Adam said sincerely.

"Did you hear about the murders?" she asked.

Adam reached across the table and squeezed her hand, "Everything will be ok. You dad will hunt down the killers and I'll prosecute them. They'll be in Iron Heights before you know it."

She looked down at her plate and rearranged the rice again.

"But that isn't what's bothering you is it?" her husband asked knowingly. Sometimes she hated the way he read her so well.

"I'm fine," she insisted.

"Laurel, you've been off since you met your sister at the club," he commented.

Laurel sighed. He was her husband. She was supposed to share her thoughts and feelings with him. "I always imagined when I was pregnant she would be here for me, taking me shopping for maternity clothes, helping me choose a crib, a stroller, organising my baby shower but she choose that side."

"Laurel there is nothing you can do about your sister's decision. She chose to side with the criminals. She chose to support them. If you want I can ask Lisa to go shopping with you. I'm sure shell enjoy it," her husband offered.

Laurel smiled, "There's no need to harass your sister on my behalf. If I need anything I'll call her."

"Is there anything else bothering you? I received a complaint today that you've been asking questions about the Declan case?" Adam asked.

Laurel narrowed her eyes at him, "Officer Hilton? I can't believe him. All I did was ask if he was sure Declan was guilty and that nothing else seemed off about the case."

"Why?"

"The defence put him on the stand today. He still insists he's innocent," she said poking at the grilled chicken breast that came with the wild rice.

"They always do," Paul pointed out, "Even when there is iron clad evidence against them."

"I usually know when they're lying but I can't help but feel we are putting an innocent man in jail." This case really wasn't sitting right with her.

"Hey, maybe it's just the pregnancy hormones messing with you. You're about to become a mother. Prosecuting a man for murdering his wife and seeking the death penalty can't be easy."

"No, don't blame my pregnancy for this. My gut tells me something is off and I was raised to believe in my gut," Laurel stood, throwing her napkin on the table and begun pacing the room.

"Ok," Adam said holding up his hands in a placating gesture, "Let's walk through the evidence."

She stopped pacing and looked at him, "The evidence all points to him. She was found dead one morning in their guest bedroom. The neighbours heard loud quarrelling the night before. A knife with his bloody fingerprints on it was found in the kitchen sink."

"And he claimed that he had taken a sleeping pill which usually knocks him completely unconscious until the morning. His daughter was also conveniently sleeping over at a friend's house," Adam finished summarising the evidence for her.

"Yes but where is the motive? According to family, friends, neighours, he was a great husband who doted on his wife and child. There is no evidence that he had a mistress or was cheating on her. He had no major vices. I see no difference between him and you. Am I supposed to believe that he just woke up one day and snapped?"

"Laurel, if you worried that I could do the same thing, I won't. I would never hurt you or our baby," Adam said sincerely.

Laurel just nodded her head. She had seen many cases where men started off loving and then became something else later down the line.

"Laurel, if the husband didn't do it, who else had a motive?" Adam continued their discussion.

"That's it. I don't know. She was on good terms with everyone. Even her co-workers at Brodeur Chemical had glowing things to say about her," she said throwing her hands up in the air. She glanced back at Adam when he fell silent and she saw a frown line across his face. She knew what that line meant. She eagerly sat down at the table again. "What?"

"You said she worked at Brodeur Chemical?" he asked carefully.

"Yes, why is that important?" Laurel asked. Her gut told she was on to something here.

"You know how Malcolm has been obsessed with watching all the security footage of that masked vigilante right?" Adam started to explain to her.

"Yeah, my dad keeps complaining that Malcolm is sending him on all these wild goose chases because he thought he saw some shadow on the footage that could have been the vigilante leaving evidence behind."

"Malcolm also noticed a dump truck leaving the city and coming back in half an hour later. He thought it was suspicious and traced the truck back to Brodeur Chemical. He has a team keeping an eye on it," Adam revealed.

"Adam, this can't be a coincidence. There's a connection here I'm sure of it. I'll have to talk to Malcolm. We still have about three days of trial left." Laurel reached for her phone on the side of the table.

"Actually, Malcolm called an emergency meeting tonight. I can talk to him. You can stay home and rest and maybe finish your dinner later," Adam suggested.

"Absolutely not. I'm pregnant no incapacitated," Laurel protested crossing her hands in front of her chest. "My pregnancy does not give you the excuse to leave me out of anything!"

"I just don't think you need the added stress," Adam said softly. His blue eyes conveyed how worried he was about her.

"Adam, I made a commitment to making this city crime free. I do not back down from my commitments." She pushed her plate away, "I'm going to go change into something more comfortable for the meeting."

Adam nodded solemnly.

As she walked away she heard him start to clear up the table. He truly was a great guy. They had similar dispositions, similar values and goals. They knew what they wanted out of life. Everything about her marriage was exactly as she had imagined as a child. She had a great job, a great husband and a great life. The only thing missing was Sara.

She hadn't been able to shake off what Oliver told her at the club about Sara or the way Oliver had treated her after she argued with Sara. He also looked very hurt when Adam boasted about her pregnancy. It made her wonder if he still had feelings for her. What would her life be like if Oliver hadn't 'died'? Would she be Mrs. Oliver Queen? Would this baby she's carrying now be Olivers? Would she work at Queen's Consolidated as their in house legal counsel? Would she even work at all? Perhaps she would have been like Moira, a high society woman who dedicated her life to charity work.

She shook those thoughts away. She was very happy with her life the way it was. Her relationship with Adam wasn't complicated and he didn't cheat on her. He treated her with respect and they had a great partnership. She pulled out a stretchy pants and one of Adam's silk shirts. She was going to have to go maternity shopping sooner rather than later.

* * *

**S-8**

Ted Grant pulled at the tie around his neck. It was the one tie he owned and Sara made him wear it. They were meeting Oliver for lunch at the most expensive restaurant in Star City, Table Salt. Ted had refused to go but Sara, as she often did, overruled him. He rolled over very easily for his wife.

In his mind, Table Salt represented a lot of what he was fighting against; the elite that only believed in their rights. They wanted to dictate to the rest of the city. They wanted to move them into those glass towers in Novus District. No matter how they tried to spin it, it was a giant glass cell to monitor them. There were cameras everywhere in that district, outside, inside and there was a rumour going around The Glades (he refuses to call it The Old Glades) that there were even cameras inside the apartments monitoring you.

His wife was much smarter than she let on. She argued that by not going to Table Salt to meet with Oliver, he was letting them dictate to him that he was not good enough to set foot into the exclusive restaurant and Ted would never let anyone tell him he wasn't good enough for something. He was a trained fighter. Fighting for his rights came naturally to him. It was only after he agreed with his wife that he was good enough to eat at Table Salt that he realised what she did.

That was how Ted ended up seated reluctantly at the table staring at all the cutlery next to the plate. Why couldn't you just eat with one fork and one knife? Sara had told him he had work his way in. The first fork was for the salad or appetiser which Sara made sure to order and the next fork was for the main meal.

Ted thought Sara was enjoying the lunch far too much. There was a sparkle in her eyes as she went through the menu that had no prices on it. He was reminded that his wife loved this kind of life and he could never give it to her. He was a simple guy who was happy doing what he was doing. He had no ambition to make more money, get a bigger home, get a platinum credit card or drive a luxury car. The simple things in life made him happy. Sara ordered for him and she and Oliver then settled into a conversation about the times before he 'died'.

The waitress arrived and delivered their first course. Sara winked at her and Ted stared down at his plate. So many times he wondered what Sara saw in him. He knew his wife was bi-sexual and she had so many options but she chose him. Almost every day at the gym he heard someone joking that Sara was a 10 and 10s weren't supposed to be with a poor gym owner. His thoughts were interrupted when Oliver started to talk to him.

"I invited you here today to discuss a business opportunity," Oliver said.

"Business what business?" Ted asked as his guard immediately went up. Whenever he heard the word business, The Glades always got the raw end of the deal.

"I want to sponsor one of your Sunday tournaments and I would like to connect your gym to Verdant," Oliver said in a hopeful tone.

"Verdant?" Ted asked confused. What the hell was a Verdant? Was that some new slang term because he most certainly did not keep up with all these new fancy terms.

"That's the name of the community centre," Oliver explained.

"That building your building," Ted said as he mulled over that piece of information, "Then what do you mean by connect?"

"I want Verdant to offer boxing and self-defence classes but the location of the classes will be at your gym. You have all of the proper equipment for those services. It would be a mutually beneficial agreement. Verdant would offer a wide range of services and the size of the classes in your gym will increase," he explained slowly.

"Why the sudden interest in the gym and The Glades?" Ted asked curiously. He glanced briefly at Sara to gauge her reaction to Oliver's proposal and she seemed ok with it.

"Because I think you're doing good work in the gym," Oliver replied honestly.

Ted leaned back in his chair and studied Oliver, "Where do you stand on The Glades reconstruction project?"

"I think it's a good project but it needs to be done in conjunction with the residents. You can't deny that crime is an issue and certain parts of the Glades needs rebuilding?" Oliver pressed.

Ted snorted, "I know what my neighbourhood is like. I do not need some big shot from a corporation to tell me what is wrong with it. A big part of the problem is you big corporations that run Star City. You think you can tell us what to do. It all comes down to your bottom line. You built those shiny towers to house your workforce, there's a direct transport grid from the towers to each corporation. It is not about the people and what is best for us. The Stellmoor group wants a large chuck of my neighbourhood for their purposes and it most definitely is not to help us," Ted ranted,"What can a college dropout do different?"

"Ted!" Sara hissed as quietly as she could so that she wouldn't draw any unwanted attention on them from the diners surrounding them.

"No Sara, I want to hear what it is he thinks he can do?" Ted disagreed.

Oliver sighed, "I didn't invite you here to dictate to you. It's very bad to surround yourself with 'yes' people. I invited you here to hear your ideas. I don't live in The Glades. It's like you said, I can tell you to cut the grass all I want but only you would know if the grass needs cutting. Part of developing Verdant is to address some of your concerns. The more feedback I receive the better Verdant will be able to serve you."

The waitress arrived with lunch and the conversation went silent for a while before Oliver decided to continue.

"Ted, I know you don't know me or trust me but I'm hoping we could work on that," Oliver said honestly.

"If you truly mean that then step into the ring with me," Ted challenged.

Sara sat up straighter, "I don't think that's such a good idea."

Oliver ignored her, focusing on Ted, "If that's what it takes to earn your trust, I'll do it. I finish work at five. I'll come by right after."

* * *

**S-9**

One his way back to MQI after lunch, Oliver decided to stop at the coffee shop Felicity introduced him to and pick up a coffee for her. In the last week he had learned that after lunch she had a tall coffee with low fat milk and extra sugar. He picked up one for Diggle as well who was waiting by the door. As he was leaving he ran into McKenna coming into the coffee shop.

"Hi," Oliver said awkwardly.

"Hi," McKenna answered shifting her weight to one foot as she looked up at Oliver.

"I didn't get a chance to say goodbye that last time I saw you," Oliver apologised.

"I know but under the circumstances it was acceptable," McKenna said giving him a pass.

Oliver shifted on his feet as an awkward silence settled between them.

"I should probably let you get back to work." She gave him a shy smile and then started walking towards the line to order something.

"McKenna wait," Oliver called after her.

She turned around and stared at him, "Would you like to go to dinner?" There, he said it. He followed Tommy's advice and made a move towards getting a girlfriend.

"Yes," McKenna said with a smile. "Give me your phone. I'll put my number in it for you."

He passed the coffee tray to Diggle and pulled out his phone handing it to her. She seemed to navigate it better than him. "There all done. I'm available Saturday night at 8:00pm. Let me know where we are going and what I should wear. I'll see you then," she handed the phone back.

"Great, I'll call you tonight and let you know," he said before turning towards Diggle and retrieving the tray. He walked back towards MQI with Diggle next to him.

"Do you know where you are taking her?" Diggle asked.

"Not a clue. I think the only place I know is Table Salt," Oliver admitted. He hadn't really investigated the social side of Star City yet. His primary focus was completing the mission and tackling his list. He had a date with the second name on the list this weekend.

"There are quite a few restaurants in the entertainment district that are very good. My brother took his wife to Russo's last month for their anniversary. I heard it was quite the romantic atmosphere," Diggle said as they climbed the front steps that led to MQI's front entrance.

"Maybe that would be a bit over the top for a first date?" Oliver asked him.

"You're Oliver Queen. She will expect something over the top," Diggle replied.

Oliver mulled it over while they waited for an elevator, "I suppose you're right. I'll call Russo's and make a reservation."

When he arrived on the Executive Floor, he walked straight into Felicity's office, Diggle followed behind him. Felicity's office was the only one Diggle ever entered. Felicity was on the phone talking to someone and from the tone of her voice he was certainly glad he wasn't on the receiving end of that conversation. When she put the phone down he handed her, her coffee.

"Problems?" he asked.

"Not anymore. We have a site visit to go to tomorrow. I had your assistant update your schedule for you. The City has issued a tender to install a new camera system in Pacific Heights. It's probably in direct response to the Adam Hunt incident. Walter wants us to go and make a bid," she explained to him quickly while she worked on her computer. Oliver had learned very quickly that Felicity was excellent at multi-tasking. She could hold a full conversation with him and still get work done on her computer.

"What's the story behind Adam Hunt? I've been hearing a lot of things about it on the news," Oliver stated innocently. He shouldn't have asked Felicity that question but a part of him really wanted to know what she thought about his actions.

"Supposedly a hooded figure in green entered his penthouse suite took out his entire security detail and then killed him. The police call him The Hood," she explained nonchalantly.

"Sounds like some sort of psychopath to me," Diggle commented from the doorway.

"Maybe or just someone seeking justice," Oliver replied slightly offended.

"More like retribution," Felicity corrected.

"What is the difference between justice and retribution?" Oliver asked.

"Justice is found through the legal system in a court room. It's about upholding the law and hearing the cold hard facts of a case. Retribution is when someone punishes another person for something they did outside of the legal system. It's about vengeance and it's governed by emotions," Felicity explained to him.

"So you think it's wrong for someone to take matters into their own hands?" Oliver questioned.

She stopped typing and looked up at him. Her clear blue eyes locked on to his. "No I never said that. I said not to confuse justice and retribution. Personally I'm all for balancing the scales any way you can. The world is not a fair place and I believe that the strong should help the weak. Adam Hunt was by no means an innocent. Did he deserve what he got? Probably but in the eyes of the law, murder is murder."

"There has to be another way though," Diggle mused. "As a solider I was ordered to kill. Sometimes the enemy was grown men but other times it was boys. I had my orders and I had to follow them but if I didn't have my orders, I would have tried to save those boys."

Oliver didn't respond and silence descended upon them. Fortunately, Felicity brought the topic back to work and he listened intently as she explained why she thought MQI needed to drop some projects.

* * *

**S-10**

Oliver stared at the clock on his wall. It was time to implement his plan to ditch Diggle. He went to the men's room, Diggle remaining at his station as he usually did. He had asked Felicity for the ventilation schematics for the building via e-mail an hour ago and studied the layout for a way out. He used his knife to open the cover to the ventilation shaft. He climbed in and followed it to a vent that travelled down to the other floor. He found his way to the bathroom on that floor and then went straight to the elevator. He exited in the lobby and walked straight out the front door. He hailed a cab and gave them the address. When he arrived at the club Digg was calling his phone.

"Hello, Big Belly Burger, what can I get for your belly?" Oliver answered cheekily.

"Oliver, this isn't funny," Digg said gravely.

"I needed to go somewhere you wouldn't take me. I'll see you back at the mansion. Feel free to tell my mother that I choose where I go, not her." Oliver ended the phone call and walked into the gym.

Sara approached him first, "Ollie."

From the look on her face, he knew she was going to try and talk him out of the fight. "Sara, it will be fine. Trust me."

"You don't have to do this," Sara insisted.

"I do." Oliver pulled off his jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair. He walked towards the centre ring, Sara following behind him.

"Where is Ted?" he asked.

"Right here," the man said appearing with a set of boxing gloves that he tossed at Oliver.

Oliver caught them easily. "So how does this work?" He had a general idea of what boxing entailed but from his experience each form of fighting had its own set of rules, techniques and strategies. He was confident he would be able to adapt.

"You put the gloves on, step in that ring," Ted said pointing to the ring, "And I'll pummel you until you quit."

"Or," Sara said very loudly, "We can have 3 one-minute rounds," she stated staring intently at Ted.

The man swallowed, "Ok we do it Sara's way. Are you fighting like that?" Ted asked pointing to Oliver's clothes.

Oliver looked down at this black pants and white shirt, "Yeah."

Ted shook his head and climbed up into the ring, Oliver and Sara following suit.

"Listen up boys. I'm in charge of this fight. Boxing only, no kicking, biting or weapons. If I say break it up you break it up. If you don't I'll kick both your asses understand?"

"Yes," they both responded.

Sara walked over to Oliver and helped him put on his gloves. It was far more difficult to put on than Oliver thought. Once Sara was satisfied they were secured she signalled to one of the assistants to go to the bell and she took up a position between them.

"Ok, let's go boys," Sara said.

The bell rang to signal the beginning of the round but neither man moved first. Oliver stared at Ted trying to assess him. He remembered Malcolm saying Ted was a natural born fighter. He would have gone all the way as a boxer if he hadn't been injured. Rumour was it was the injury that stopped him from continuing as Wild Cat in the ring but Oliver also noted that Sara came into his life around the same time.

Ted decided to go first and he stepped forward and used his right hand to jab at Oliver weakly. Oliver ducked and moved to the right.

"Not bad," Ted said.

Oliver realised the man was testing him. Oliver decided to stay on the defensive with a counter attack here and there.

Ted punch at him again this time with his left hand. Oliver moved to avoid and Ted tried a jab with his right, Oliver stepping away again to avoid him. Ted smiled. He tried a few other moves, all of which Oliver avoided. He got the impression that Ted was toying with him and it was confirmed when he felt the ropes touch his back.

"You shouldn't let yourself get backed into the corner," Ted admonished.

Ted dropped his guard and pointed to the centre of the ring just as the bell for the end of the first round went off. That was one round under his belt. He returned to the centre of the ring and waited for Sara's instructions.

"Ready?" Sara asked.

"No," Ted replied. He looked at Oliver, "You're holding back, no holds barred this time."

Oliver nodded and Sara frowned, "Ted," she said warningly.

"It's ok Sara. I can handle it," Oliver reassured her as he took up his position in the centre of the ring again.

"I don't think you can," Sara replied worriedly.

"A little faith would be nice Sara," Oliver responded dryly.

"Let's quit the chit chatting and fight," Ted urged, his guard up ready to fight.

Sara sighed and indicated to the bell man to ring the bell to start the second round.

This time when the bell sounded, Ted moved right away, a right jab, left hook, right upper cut and left punch. Ted was fast and strong. Oliver barely blocked the first barrage and by the second one he had received a square cut to his jaw. Oliver staggered back stunned. Sara stepped in and kept Ted at bay. That hit was definitely going to bruise.

Ted was definitely a good fighter. No doubt about it. On the island Oliver had his ass kicked repeatedly before he started to progress. Even now he was still kind of heavy on his feet. Ted was light and knew how to get his opponents to open up. The only thing Oliver was a natural at was aiming with his bow.

Oliver focused on Ted. As soon as Sara restarted the fight Ted attacked landing several hits to his ribs. He was going to be very sore the next day. Oliver saw an opening and clocked Ted in the jaw with a right hook. The bell rang signalling the end of that round.

"Good shot," Ted commented rubbing his face as they returned to the centre of the ring.

"Ollie are you up for this?" Sara questioned worriedly.

"Sara, I survived the island, another minute in the ring isn't going to kill me," Oliver assured her.

"I am not worried about Ted killing you; I'm worried about him ruining that pretty face of yours. You already have quite the impressive shiner forming." She pointed to his cheek and he knew she was right.

"Won't be the first time," Oliver replied wryly. He had had more than one boyfriend/husband punch him for sleeping with their girlfriend/wife.

Oliver focused on Ted again. He needed to be the first to react when the bell rang so as soon as he heard the bell he moved, Ted moving at the exact same time. Both threw punches and they ended up locked together in the middle of the ring the way Oliver had seen happen in boxing matches. Sara stepped in and separated them. This fight would be so much easier if he could use his other fighting skills.

Ted started up first and Oliver managed to block most of his hits and made an upper cut shot that Ted barely avoided by stepping away. He followed up with some of the sequences that Ted had used on him earlier in the fight, but Ted being the more experienced boxer, countered easily and somehow landed a strong punch to Oliver's stomach which knocked the wind out of him. The punch was followed up with and upper cut to Oliver's jaw that made Oliver see stars.

The bell rang before knock out. Sara stepped in and declared the match over and raised Ted's hand as the winner. Ted could go in for the

"Ok, it's a deal," Ted said taking off his gloves and offering Oliver his hand to shake.

Oliver stared at the boxing gloves on his hand and Sara helped him take the glove off. He shook Ted's hand and promised to meet up next week to discuss the plan further but at the moment he had a date with an ice pack or two.

As he passed under the ropes and jumped down he saw Diggle waiting for him by the entrance. At least he didn't have to track down a cab to get home. He grabbed his coat from the chair and walked over.

"I'm surprised you didn't throw yourself into the ring to protect me," Oliver joked.

"Your life wasn't in danger," Diggle pointed out.

Oliver followed him out to the car, his bodyguard on alert the entire way there. Diggle didn't dismiss any possible threat, even carefully surveying the young kids throwing a ball around in the street. Oliver jumped in the front seat as soon as Diggle opened the car and he turned the rearview mirror towards himself to study his reflection.

"Mr. Queen, I require that to drive," Diggle said sternly.

"Hmm, I suppose you do," Oliver said turning it back and opening his overhead visor to see if there was a mirror there.

Diggle made some minor adjustments to the mirror and then he started the car. They drove in silence for a while before Oliver asked him a question. "How did you find me?"

"Your mother," Diggle stated never taking his eyes off the road.

"My mother found me?" Oliver asked doubtfully.

"There are cameras all throughout this city," Diggle answered.

"But there are no cameras in The Old Glades," Oliver countered. She shouldn't have been able to follow him into The Old Glades.

"Maybe not but she found the cab driver and got the address he dropped you off at," his bodyguard explained.

"Isn't that abusing public resources," Oliver responded.

Diggle remained silent and Oliver chose to continue studying his reflection. Both of his cheeks had deep purple bruises forming and his left eye looked like it would be swollen shut soon. He probably shouldn't have let Ted get so many shots in.

When they arrived at the mansion his mother was waiting for him by the door.

"Oh my God Oliver what happened?" she screeched. "What did those filthy creatures do to you? I told you not to go there."

"I took Malcolm's advice and started self-defense lessons. Obviously I'm not too great at it." He pushed passed her to head towards the kitchen where he could pack ice into towels and put on his face and sides.

"Oliver this is…"

"None of your concern," he cut her off. "If I want to go into The Old Glades. I will go. Telling my bodyguard that he can't take me there isn't going to stop me so you can decide if you rather me there by myself or with my bodyguard. Good night mother."

He climbed the stairs and left Diggle with his mother. He glanced at the door next to his room and was thankful Tommy wasn't there. His brother would have a field day with this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> I recently watched the first season of Daredevil and I realise Malcolm has sort of completed what Fisk was trying to do to Hell's Kitchen.


	11. Tori-Shima

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated entirely to Tommy and covers his time on Tori-Shimato Mariko's 's not as long as the other you want to skip it, feel free to but I highly suggest you read the last scene in the chapter (S-10) as that's in the present you do read the full chapter,S-8 is very dark, violent and rape is implied.
> 
> A little reminder, the last flashback had Tommy being drugged as soon as he arrived on Tori-Shima.

Tommy slowly started to regain consciousness. His eyes fluttered open to see where he was but the light from a nearby window caused him to close them immediately. That probably wasn't a good idea because his head started to throb. He tried to remember what Tatsu had taught him but his mind was a bit foggy. Whatever they had drugged him with was strong. He supposed step 1 should be to establish that he was alive. He inhaled deeply and exhaled and concluded he was in fact alive. He was curled in the fetal position and he decided to wiggle his feet, his hands and his hurt so he took that as a great sign. He didn't hear anybody comment on him being awake so he assumed maybe he was in an empty room. He tried to stretch and his feet and hands hit metal wiring.

Alert bells started going off in his head. He forced his eyes opened and waited for them to adjust to the light. He adjusted his head a bit so that the ray of light from the window didn't fall directly on his face. The first thing he noticed was that he was in a narrow two by four cage. Did they think he was some type of dog that needed to be caged? He then realised that there was a cage next to him with an occupant who appeared to be asleep.

He turned his head to survey the room. Tommy counted 31other cages in the room, some occupants awake, some still asleep. Everyone wore the exact same black overall. Tommy looked down at his clothes and he realised that someone changed his clothes! None of his gear or his sword were visible in the room. This was supposed to be a fighting tournament not some human science experiment.

If he was still on Tori-Shima, then he would be in the abandoned observatory building. That was the only building on the island. Slowly others started waking up and kicking at their cages trying to get out. No one had been successful yet and Tommy didn't want to waste his energy. At the moment, sitting back and observing seemed like a better idea. He realised with everyone wearing the same thing he had no idea what Ravager looked like. In all the pictures he had been shown of Ravager he was always wearing the same bluish outfit.

A short time later, the door opened and Tommy expected to see a short balding man in a white lab coat, with large bifocals and a large pointy needle. Instead an old man dressed in ceremonial robes flanked by four guards stepped into the room. He walked slowly among the cages observing everyone. Some spoke to him angrily demanding why they were in cages, others were silent.

"Welcome to the Tori-Shima tournament," the man finally said in a thick Japanese accent.

Others started asking questions but the old man ignored them.

"The tournament starts now." He signalled to his men who opened two cages and dragged the men inside the cages out. They were escorted out. The old man followed them out and a guard returned and removed one of the cages. A couple hours later one of the men that had left was returned to the cage. His black overalls looked stained with blood and there was a slash across one of his arms. The guards then moved on to two more cages and the process repeated itself.

**S-2**

Tommy waited anxiously for the guards to reach to his cage. The cage opposite him barely contained the man that was in it and that was who his opponent was going to be if they kept up with their current pattern. Some of the men that came back from their first fight were in terrible condition. They were handed first aid boxes and told to patch themselves up in their cages. Tommy watched in disgust as one man sewed up a rather deep cut in his arm. He had seen such things on Lian Yu but he had never been the one being patched up.

The moment of truth eventually came and he was hauled out of his cage. The sudden change in position from cramped to space made him realise how stiff his muscles were. He glanced across at his opponent and estimated him at7 feet tall and built like The Rock. Hopefully he was as slow as one as well. He followed the men outside, trying to stretch his legs and arms as he went. The first thing he noticed was the albatrosses nesting on the hillside and he knew he was still on Tori-shima. It also confirmed they were being held in the observatory building.

His opponent was led towards the volcano in the north. The last time any activity was recorded for the volcano was in 2002. He sure hoped it didn't pick while he was on the island to decide to get active. They lead him westwards towards where there was a valley made from the previous lava flow. Most of the flora on the island were shrubs. No real tall trees to hide behind.

The waters around the island were looking much rougher than when he arrived and he couldn't see any boats around. His emergency evac was supposed to be a boat.

"This is your starting point," a guard said when they stopped.

Another guard pulled his sword out from a bag and it was given to him along with the instructions, "Find your opponent and kill him."

They backed away slowly from him, never taking their eyes off of him. When there was about 100 feet between them they stopped and waited. Tommy watched them for a moment before he decided that they were just observers. He unsheathed his sword to inspect it to see if they tampered with it but it looked intact, even the secret emergency beacon that was located in the hilt seemed to be undisturbed.

He decided to let his opponent come to him instead of wasting energy running around the island looking for him. To occupy his time, he would do some stretching exercises and some katas with his sword to get his muscles back into shape after being locked in that cage for who knows how long. He noticed his guards appraise his skills favourably.

Half an hour later he spotted his opponent walking towards him with a giant axe. He suddenly felt like he was in one of those video games he used to play with Oliver. It was kind of ironic because he like to fight with the character with the large axe. He loved to swing the large axe around and watch a huge chunk of his opponent's health disappear with one hit. Oliver preferred the ninja characters. Even though their hits were weaker, they were quicker and could easily land a succession of hits taking out as much health as one hit from the bigger characters. He hoped that his opponent was slow with the axe.

The man approached slowly before he came to a stop about fifty feet away from him. Tommy did not move. He was going to wait for the man to make the first move.

Suddenly the man broke out in a full sprint at him. He raised the axe over his head but Tommy still stood still waiting. He waited till the man started to swing the axe down to his head in an attempt to cut him in half from head to toe before he ducked and rolled to the right. It was too late for the man to correct and the axe went into the ground. Tommy drew his sword quickly and severed the man's Achilles' heel. The man howled in pain and tried to approach Tommy but his left foot gave out. Blood poured out of the wound as the man tried to stand again. He got up on his knees and started moving towards Tommy, swinging the axe wildly. Tommy backed quickly away from him.

At the rate blood was gushing from his foot, the man would pass out eventually, Tommy just had to wait him out. He had no desire to try and deliver a killing blow. He may have killed people but Tommy did not have a killer instinct. When the man finally keeled over, Tommy didn't feel the urge to bend over and puke his guts out. He had done that the first time he killed a man on Lian Yu. He didn't know if that was a good or a bad sign. One of the guards drew his attention and he was led back to the observatory building. They relieved him of his sword before he was placed back in his cell.

**S-3**

At the end of the first round there were 16 people left,four of them without a scratch. He was one of these four and thus he became a front runner in the tournament. The other three were a Japanese man named Akahara who was part of the Yakuza, a middle aged man who refused to give any details about himself to anyone, and a tall African man that simply went by the name The African. Tommy had given his name as Draken. It was announced that there would be a three day break before the next fight to allow participants to rest and recover, though Tommy didn't know how much rest and recovery they thought could be done in their dog cages.

After the first day in the cage Tommy with nothing to do, he started talking to the guards that patrolled.

"Do you have any form of entertainment for us," Tommy asked aloud.

The middle aged man looked at him with scorn, "Whiney little brat!"

Tommy ignored him and continued talking to the guard, "Why do you have to keep us in cages?" Tommy protested. "We're supposed to be fighting. These cramped little cages slow me down."

Instead of the guard responding it was Akahara who chose to provide him with an answer, "What do you think would happen if we were all free to walk about?"

"We won't suffer muscle cramps?" Tommy said trying to stretch his arm to make a point.

Akahara pointed to The African, "He looks like he would slit all of our throats in our sleep."

"I would," The African proudly admitted.

"This tournament is 500 years old and in order to maintain honour, these are the measures that have become necessary. It did not start out like this but it was found that once the competition was opened up to outsiders with no honour," Akahara said looking at The African, "We needed to take measures to ensure that honour was maintained. The food isn't poisoned, that happened one year, there are no gang ups of weaker opponents to eliminate stronger fighters, the integrity of the tournament is maintained. The fighter that wins, is the strongest fighter of the decade."

Tommy nodded, "Wouldn't it just be simpler to allow only people with honour to enter!"

The African laughed, "Honour is overrated. Even the Yakuza don't follow their old codes anymore."

Akahara smiled, "I follow the old codes and I shall take great pleasure in killing someone like you."

Silence settled over them and Tommy decided to dedicate his time to trying to figure out which competitor was Ravager. There was no way he would have been knocked out in the first round. He read his file, and knew his skill. Ravager would at least make it to the semi-finals. Based on the blurry pictures he had seen of Ravager, the little bit of skin exposed around his mask revealed he was a white man. That meant Tommy could eliminate over half of the persons remaining. He carefully observed his suspects and listened to any conversations they had to determine who his target was.

His round two opponent was a fan of using Sais but Tommy was able to handle him easily. During the fight, Tommy noticed a fishing boat about five miles offshore casually drifting by. That could have been the ARGUS boat doing a sail by. They could at least update Waller that he was still alive and was about to dispense with his opponent.

After round two, 8 people were left and his options for Ravager had significantly narrowed down. He highly suspected that the middle aged man was Ravager. They were given a week's rest that Tommy had no idea how he was going to survive in the cramped cage, until the guards came through the doors with much bigger cages. Tommy greatly appreciated the extra space to stretch his limbs and keep his muscles in good condition. He also struck up quite a rapport with Akahara. He spent many hours learning about the intricacies of Japanese society and how the Yakuza was allowed by authorities to fit into society for centuries.

His quarterfinal opponent was a tall, lanky man that used two short swords as his weapons. His skills were equivalent to Tommy's and they fought for a long traded blows, his opponent successfully slashing him on his thigh, for many hours. In the end, Tommy had the better endurance and persevered. He really owed Tatsu for that.

After the fight, he had to sew himself up. That was definitely a new experience for him. He winced every time he put the needle through his skin and Akahara laughed at him. They were down to four, Akahara, The African, the middle-aged man who he was 100% sure was Ravager and himself.

"Someone's not accustomed to injury," Akahara mused. He still didn't have a scratch on him.

"No, I usually have a sexy nurse to take care of these nuisances," he boasted.

"You won't need a nurse after the semi-finals," The African smirked.

"No I might need a doctor," Tommy agreed, "but at least I won't need a mortician like you."

Akahara chuckled again, "You will all need morticians."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Yakuza," the middle aged man said. "My predecessors have won this tournament before and they usually won it by cutting Yakuza to pieces."

**S-4**

On the last day of rest, the old man entered, "The semi-finals start now."

All four cages were opened.

"A four-way fight?" Tommy questioned.

"No, you fight him," the old man said pointing at Ravager, "And Akahara fights The African on separate parts of the island."

"Oh, simultaneous fights." Tommy knew one thing for sure; he was not going to fight Akahara. He was going to activate his emergency beacon and get off the damn island. ARGUS's fishing boat had to be close by.

Akahara and The African were led away and Tommy and Ravager were taken to an area of the island that had steep cliffs that dropped off into 50 feet of water. They were given their weapons and Ravager wasted no time in drawing his sword. Tommy looked closely at the sword his opponent was holding. It was the last piece of the puzzle to confirm that it was Ravager. The skull on the hilt was undeniable and Tommy activated the emergency beacon in his sword. He was not planning on a long drawn out fight. His leg was still hurting from his quarter final flight.

Ravager charged at him, swinging at his head, Tommy blocked and Ravager quickly changed his stance to slash at Tommy's side. The man was very fast and the blade of his sword cut through the material of Tommy's overalls. Ravager then turned and continued his attack forcing Tommy to remain on his defensive.

Everything he heard about Ravager was true. Tommy barely had any time to plan an attack or force an opening because he had to use all of this skills to defend himself. This was the first time during the tournament that Tommy felt like he was the weaker fighter. The guards observing on the side probably thought he was the underdog.

Tommy had mastered the skills Tatsu taught him but his inexperience in sword fighting was showing. When he trained with Tatsu, at the back of his mind, he always knew she wouldn't kill him, injure and maim, yes, but not kill. He had also become very comfortable defending against her fighting style.

Things were very different against Ravager. He needed to think faster and add quick forceful counter attacks to his defensive blocks and parries. Even when he tried those things, Ravager just kept coming at him harder and harder. At one point Tommy was finally able to get a kick into Ravager's stomach and the man backed off. That gave him a much needed reprieve to think and regroup.

Ravager smirked and pulled a small dagger from the hilt of his sword, "You should be honoured, I haven't met a fighter that I needed my dagger for."

"Seriously," Tommy said exhausted. As if blocking the sword wasn't hard enough he had to keep track of a dagger too.

A boat came into his view and he knew his ride was there. He abandoned all thought of capturing Ravager alive. He decided to lure Ravager to the edge of the cliff. He also made the grim realisation that to get close enough to Ravager to kill him, he was going to have to take a hit. Mariko had taught him where he could get hit and possibly survive. Major arteries need to be avoided and major organs, though he did have a spare kidney and his appendix really wasn't that important.

Tommy noticed Akahara appear off in the distance watching the fight. He had won his fight against The African. There was blood on Ahakara's face, several slashes on his arms, torso and legs. At least it proved that he wasn't invincible but Tommy still wasn't sticking around to fight him.

He let Ravager back him up to the cliff and then he let Ravager run him through with his sword on the right side. Tommy purposely moved his sword very slowly towards Ravager. The man let go of his dagger to use his hand to grab a hold of Tommy's right hand. Tommy then used his left hand to catch the falling dagger and stabhim in the heart. He then pulled him with him as he fell backwards over the cliff into the water.

**S-5**

The water was very cold as it surrounded him. The weight of Ravager's body pushing him down. As they sank, a column of blood rose above him. Ravager's sword was still in his side and it hurt like hell. He was going to need to breathe soon and that required getting to the surface. He pushed Ravager off of him and then tried to kick towards the surface. The sword in his side was holding him back so he put his hand over the hilt to pull it out when a hand closed over his. He turned to see a diver who took his mouth piece out of his mouth and handed it to Tommy.

Tommy took a big gulp which he wasn't supposed to do. The diver moved his hand away from the hilt and started pulling Tommy towards an underwater scooter. After a few breaths the diver asked back for the mouth piece and Tommy reluctantly handed it back to him. The diver held onto him with one hand and used his other hand to hold the scooter.

The scooter started to pull him through the water and the resistance against the sword hurt. Tommy used both his hands to hold the sword steady so that it didn't hurt so much.

They surfaced on the side of the boat that was away from the island. Tommy was carefully pulled up and taken below deck where he discovered a full medical unit awaiting him. He was placed on his side on the operating table.

"Tommy!"

He turned his head and was met with the view of Mariko's worried face.

"Hi," he said softly.

"I thought you said you wouldn't die," she teased him lightly while medical professionals rushed around him connecting him to all sorts of machines.

"I'm dead?" Tommy questioned, "I kinda thought heaven wouldn't have this much pain."

Mariko laughed and Tommy's hope soared. He was about to assure her that he would survive when she was pulled away by a doctor.

"We're going to sedate you and then remove the sword. The procedure is probably going to take three times as long because a rocking boat is hardly the best place to do this but we can't wait till we reach to shore. As soon as we reach far away enough away from the island. You'll be evacuated via helicopter to our medical facility in Hong Kong."

A mask was placed of Tommy's face and his eyelids started to grow very heavy. The last thing he saw before he fell into the darkness was Mariko's worried face.

**S-6**

Tommy held one bag with two bento boxes from their favourite restaurant in one hand and two bags with incense, candles and teain the other as he approached their apartment door. He shifted all the bags to one hand and opened his door. Today was a special day. It marked six months since he moved in with Mariko in her tiny apartment in Japan. He still worked with ARGUS running missions in Asia and he had no intention of going back to Starling City. He hadn't even googled his father or followed what was going on in Starling City. His life was in Japan now andonly Japanese news concerned him.

He had seen Oliver once after his Hong Kong Mission finished. They discussed their lives and they both felt the same way about Starling City. Tommy tried to convince Oliver to come to Japan with him but Oliver decided to board a boat to Coast City and he heard through his ARGUS connections that his best friend was running around at nights with his bow and arrow.

Tommy had everything planned for their six month anniversary. It was his first ever six month anniversary and he was determined to make it as special as Mariko was to him. Since both of them were hopeless in the kitchen, he knew he had to order a special meal for their day as well as decorate the apartment to set the mood.

After leaving his shoes by the door, Mariko didn't allow shoes inside, he sprinted to the kitchen. He had an hour left to prepare everything. He left her at the ARGUS black ops facility working with a patient that claimed he had been attached by Ravager. That was a mystery he was determined to leave for another day. Besides that was Harbinger's mission not his. Tonight was for celebration and he planned to make sweet love to his girlfriend all night. He also wanted to introduce the idea of one day making this arrangement more permanent. It wasn't a marriage proposal. He knew they weren't ready for that. It was more a goal that they could slowly work towards.

Each day the picture of her as his beautiful wife became clearer and clearer. He had even begun to add a little girl to the picture, who had a beautiful smile like her mother and his cheeky sense of humour. He could imagine his daughter teasing him about grey hair in the future. He would love her and never abandon her the way his father abandoned him.

After his bath, he put on the monsuke Mariko bought him last month. She had added her own special touch to it by embroidering a blue dragon outline on one side. The head of the dragon rested over his heart. It reminded him that he was her dragon protector.

Mariko seemed to be running a little late so he collapsed on the couch and turned on the TV. He switched to the station that showed Korean soap operas. In the middle of a particular tense moment the screen went blank and Tommy sat up straighter, cursing at the TV in Japanese. He was ready to call the cable company when the picture was restored to a close up of the Ravager mask.

"Ah Draken, it took me a long time to locate you," a chillingly calm voice stated.

"You're dead," Tommy replied. A sinking feeling settled in his gut and he glanced at the clock again. Mariko still wasn't home.

"No the previous Ravager is dead. I'm the new and upgraded version and I'm here to make you suffer starting by torturing this sweet little thing." The camera panned outwards and Tommy saw Mariko on her knees facing the camera. Ravager was standing behind her with the sword Tommy used at the tournament at her neck. She was bound and gagged but he could see the fear in her eyes.

"If you want her you need to come down to the private hangers at the airport. You'll know which one when you get here. Oh and if you tell anyone, you'll find her body scattered about this hanger. You have ten minutes to get here before I start carving into her."

Tommy sprung into action jumping over the table and sofa to the table by the door where the car keys were. He pulled the sword Mariko gave him for his birthday off of its spot on the wall and raced down to the car.

**S-7**

Tommy couldn't hear anything over the beating of his heart. He was sure that at least one driver would have softly beeped their horn at him for his ridiculous driving but he hadn't heard him. Had he been in the States they would have cursed him but the Japanese people were much more polite and reserved.

Tommy knew what it felt like to have a sword slice through your skin. Mariko's skin was flawless, not a scar or blemish on it. She looked like she was 21 but according to her birth certificate, which he forced Mariko to show him because he didn't believe her, she was actually 38. She was far wiser than him. He could not lose her. He could not imagine living in a world without Mariko. What he had thought was a nice life in Starling City paled in comparison to the life he currently live.

He arrived at the airport in record time. He started at the first private hanger and continued until he found Mariko. The first few hangers were empty, then one had a photo shoot and another had a party. Eventually he came to a dark hanger that had a spotlight on Mariko gagged and tied to a chair. He couldn't see into the darkness around her. He drew his sword and cautiously approached her. She was shaking her head furiously telling him not to approach her but he had to. How else was he going to save her?

As he approached, he surveyed her. Her kimono was pristine, no signs of stains or blood on it. It did not look like she had been hurt. Just as he reached her he felt a sharp pinch on his neck. He reached up and pulled a dart from his neck. His vision started to blur at the edges. He reached for Mariko and his arm felt like it weighted 100lbs. His hand landed heavily on her shoulder.

"Mariko," he slurred.

He tried to lift his arm up to untie the gag around her mouth but it wouldn't respond. His body started leaning forward and his vision darkened. He fought as hard as he could to stay awake. He couldn't pass out. He needed to save her. He needed to at least make sure she got out of that hanger alive. Despite his will, his body betrayed him and he fell forward on to Mariko and lost consciousness.

**S-8**

Something cold and wet landed on his forehead and he spluttered awake. His eyes opened and he was thankful that it was dark because he was fairly certain if it were bright sunlight it would have made his headache much worse.

His bare chest was pressed against a tree and his hands were wrapped around it like he was hugging it. The base was large because his hands weren't touching but they were connected by rope. He tried pulling his hands free but the ropes only got tighter around his wrists. He tried to move his legs but they were also tied around the tree.

He called for help but no one answered. He was in the middle of wilderness somewhere. He was only able to turn his head to the side to see anything. There was a large plain off to one side and more trees on the other.

The sun started to rise and the plains he was looking at illuminated with light. He saw Kangaroos and realised that they were in Australia. How the heck did this imposter get him to Australia without being caught? It could be worse, he could be in Africa waiting for the lions to come feed on him. Really what were a bunch of kangaroos going to do to him? His real worry was Mariko. From his limited vision he couldn't see her and that made him worry about what the imposter could be doing to her.

He heard the sound on an engine and thought maybe help had arrived. He tried to strain his neck to see behind him but he couldn't. He cried out for help and heard the vehicle stop followed by the door opening and closing. The imposter appeared in his line of vision.

"Finally awake!" he said cheerily.

"Where is Mariko?" Tommy asked in a deadly tone.

"Right here," he said walking away.

He returned with Mariko clutching her by her hair. He threw her onto the ground. Her wrists were cuffed together and she was still in her kimono from the day they were taken, however there were several rips and tears on it and he could see from the tears that she wasn't wearing any undergarments. A strong surge of anger when through him when he thought about what that meant.

"Mariko, are you ok?" Tommy asked.

She looked him dead in his eyes and lied, "I'm fine."

"Do you know where you are?" the imposter asked.

"Gee, I don't know Australia?" Tommy answered bitterly.

"Wrong! Australia is a few miles that way," he said chucking his thumb behind him. "We're actually on Kangaroo Island. Do you know what the aboriginal people call this place?" he asked earnestly.

When Tommy glared at him he decided to answer his own question.

"No? They call lit Karta, which means Island of the Dead. I think this is the perfect setting for what I have planned. You see when you take over the Ravager mantle your first mission is to kill the person that killed your predecessor. Originally I thought you were dead until I heard from a client that his ARGUS contact tod him an ARGUS agent kill me, well my predecessor, but the client doesn't know the difference. I investigated and imagine my glee when I discovered that there was someone for me to kill!"

"So kill me already and let Mariko go," Tommy said.

Mariko protested, the sounds coming out as a garbled mess because of the gag.

"That's too easy. I think I want to start a new tradition, plus I have other reasons to torture you," he said turning to study the horizon. "We don't have much time. ARGUS isn't that far behind. We probably just have enough time for you to watch me take your girlfriend apart."

Mariko looked Tommy in the eyes. He could see that she had accepted that she going to die.

"Please," Tommy begged, "You want to kill me. I was the one that killed your predecessor. Mariko has nothing to do with this. Kill me. Leave her alone," Tommy pleaded.

"She has everything to do with this," Ravager sneered. He pulled the gag from Mariko's mouth. "This will be much more effective if you can hear her scream properly."

"Tommy, this will not break you. You hear me. You will not break. You will bend and flex but never break," she insisted tears leaking out of her eyes.

"Mariko," Tommy cried.

Ravager swung his sword down and Mariko's hands fell to the ground while blood sprouted out of the stumps left behind. Tommy wasn't sure who screamed louder, Mariko or him. Ravager then stepped away from Mariko and carved a line into Tommy's back. Tommy didn't even feel the blade. He was pulling at the ropes trying to get free to get to Mariko.

Ravager stepped away and with another swing of the sword, her feet were gone. Mariko fell forward into the pool of blood. She looked up at Tommy weakly. He could see the light in her eyes fading.

"One last thing," she said weakly. "You will find love again. Promise me Tommy. This will not break you. Promise you will move on stronger than before."

"Mariko!" his voice was horse from screaming.

"Promise me," she said softly. Her light was fading. He was losing her.

"I promise," Tommy conceded as Ravager made another mark in his back.

"I love you," she said with her last breathe.

"I love you too," he screamed loudly.

Ravager swung the sword again and separated her left shoulder from her body but Marko didn't cry out for she had already passed into the next world.

Tommy screamed at the top of his lungs. The pain on his back was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. Ravager continued to desecrate Mariko's body. For every cut her made to her, he made one accompanying cut on Tommy's back. Tommy tried to turn his head away from the sight but Ravager wouldn't let him. He pulled out a roll of duct tape and taped his head down to the tree so he was forced to look at Mariko's desecrated body.

"You did that to her," Ravager said as he swung his sword to decapitate her. "This is all on you."

Ravager stopped and angled his ear in one direction.

"Ah ARGUS is coming. Right on time," he said walking behind Tommy and adding another cut to his back.

"See you around Draken," he said walking out of sight. Tommy heard the engine start and drive away before the sound of a helicopter got clearer. ARGUS was coming but he didn't care. He let the darkness take him.

**S-9**

The apartment in Japan was very hollow without Mariko there. All the happiness he had before was gone and instead a cold dark void remained. Was this how his father felt when his mother died? He called Mariko's phone repeatedly to hear her voicemail. Her phone had been found by ARGUS at the bus stop. It had been left behind for them to track. Tommy's phone too had been turned on when they arrived at Kangaroo Island. Ravager wanted them to find them. No traces of Ravager had been found since. He had appeared out of nowhere and then disappeared into thin air. Harbinger had informed him that they had been missing for five days.

"Tommy,"

"Tommy,"

"Tommy,"

"What?" he snapped turning to face Harbinger. He had no idea when she let herself into the apartment.

"Today is the memorial service in her honour. You need to go," Harbinger told him.

Tommy turned away from her and stared at the picture of Mariko on the wall.

"Tommy she wouldn't want you to shut down," Harbinger said softly to him.

"I failed her! Why should I go? It's my fault she is dead. I killed her!" he screamed.

"Ravager killed her. Don't distort the facts!" Harbinger snapped.

"I failed her. I'm her first student to ever fail her. I was supposed to protect her. I was supposed to be her personal Samurai but I failed," Tommy moaned sadly.

Harbinger grabbed him roughly by the face, "You listen to me. I worked with her a lot longer than you and I know she would want you there. Do you want to disappoint her? Answer me Tommy do you want to disappoint her?"

"No," he said.

"Then have a shower, shave, and put on your best suit. I'll drive you to the memorial," she said.

Tommy walked into the bathroom and momentarily stopped when he looked in the mirror. He did not recognise himself. His beard was long, his hair unkempt and his eyes sunken. He looked terrible. He forced himself through the motions and eventually presented himself to Harbinger.

"This ok Harbinger?" he asked tonelessly.

"Tommy," she said softly, "You don't need to keep referring to me by my code name. You can call my Lyla. Let's go."

He followed her out of the apartment to the ARGUS Black Ops building where the memorial was being held. The room was filled with many flowers and a large picture of Mariko was placed in the front of the room. He took a seat in the front row and stared at the picture.

She was smiling serenely. He would never see that smile or the smile she gave him when he made a corny joke or the smile she had when he did something monumentally stupid like try to fry an egg. His heart felt dead in his chest. How on Earth did she expect him to move on when he was ready to die? He missed the sound of her voice, the feel of her skin under his fingertips, the way her eyes would light up when he made a joke, he missed everything about her. It would be so much easier if he could just follow after her.

"Tommy," Lyla said.

He forced himself to pull his eyes away from the portrait, "What!" he asked angrily.

"The service is over," Lyla said softly.

Tommy turned around and the room was empty. "Then leave," he said brusquely.

"Ok," Lyla said. She walked up to the portrait and took it off its stand.

"Hey! What are you doing with that?" Tommy asked outraged.

"This," Lyla said looking down at the portrait that was now tucked away between her arm and her body. "This is ARGUS property. I'm returning it to headquarters."

"I need that!" he said reaching for the portrait under her arm.

"Do you?" she questioned moving the portrait away from him.

"Yes I do," he said taking a step closer to get to the portrait.

Lyla kneed him in the groin and he fell to the ground in pain.

"Let's make a deal," she said walking around his prone form on the floor.

"No," Tommy managed to breathe out.

Lyla continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "I'll give you this portrait if you report to work bright and early on Monday."

"Work?" Tommy rasped out.

"Yes work. You can't sit and stare at her picture all day and blame yourself. No one knew this was going to happen. Mariko would not blame you. You did your best. Mariko was an agent of ARGUS. We live knowing that we could die on missions or someone might come after us or our families. Mariko knew, understood and gladly accepted the risks. Mourn her loss Tommy but don't blame yourself for it. Honour her by becoming the man she knew you could be."

**S-10**

**Present Day**

It was cold outside but he and Helena were in a park in Novus district with portions of Chinese food they ordered from Jade Dragon. Tommy knew China White was probably somewhere in that building and he had been very surprised that Helena even suggested Chinese food since he knew she was well aware that it was a front for the Triad.

He was also concerned because there seemed to be someone targeting her father's organisation. Five more men had been assassinated since he read about the first one in the paper. He worried that Helena might be next. He was trying to figure out how to raise the topic with her when she asked him a surprising question.

"Who was Mariko?" Helena asked out of the blue.

Her body language conveyed she was curious and he knew if he didn't want to answer she would drop it but he had no clue how she knew about Mariko. He must have been telecasting his confusion because she volunteered an answer.

"The first time we tried to be intimate. When I touched the scars on your back, you turned ghost white and you whispered the name Mariko. I assume she's a ghost from the past?"

Tommy exhaled. He had a decision to make. Did he lie, did he tell her the truth or did he brush the question off? He looked around the park and decided to take a leap of faith. It had been two years since her death and he had promised her to move on.

"Let's get out of here. I have a picture at my loft that can help answer that question."

They packed up their takeout containers and went back to his place. The entire way there he tried to figure out how to speak about his past to her. When he arrived at his loft, he decided the easiest way was to take off his shirt.

Helena arched an eyebrow, "I thought we were talking, not that I don't appreciate the view," she said licking her lips.

"There are different forms of communication besides the spoken word," he said turning around to show her his back. "While I was on an island, it wasn't always the same island during my time away. This is the Kanji for the word vengeance."

He nodded his head for her to follow him to his bedroom. He opened his closet and pulled out his chest. He opened it and pulled out the picture of him and Mariko taken during the Cherry Blossom festival.

"This is Mariko. I met her two years after the Gambit sank. She was my world," he admitted honestly. "The man that did that to my back killed her."

He stared at the picture. They were so happy but the fates never allowed Tommy Merlyn to be happy. It was only because he promised Mariko that he would not break and that he would move on, that he was here in Star City. There had been no one since Mariko. Helena was the only one to attract his attention, probably because they were both so broken.

Her hand slid into his, "I understand," she said. Her other hand came up to gently caress his face. It was only when she removed her hand and he saw the moisture on it did he realise that he was crying.

"I failed to protect her. I don't even know if I can protect you," he said to her.

Helena wagged her finger at him, "Uh-uh, **I** protect myself. If **I** fail, **I** fail. It is not your responsibility. If I want to do something dangerous. I will. That's not your decision to make for me."

Tommy walked over to his bed and pulled out his sword from under the bed. He unsheathed the blade, the light from the window reflecting off his blade. "And if I came at you with this sword?" he asked to prove a point.

Helena gave him a sarcastic smile as she reached into the small purse she had with her and pulled out a Beretta. "Then I put a bullet between your eyes," she said seriously.

"And what if I move faster than you?" he asked.

"Then I should have been faster," she responded.

Tommy adjusted his grip on the sword and in a blink of an eye he held the blunt side to the side of her neck. Helena levelled the gun at his heart.

"I thought it was a bullet between the eyes," Tommy quipped.

Helena shrugged, "For you I thought the heart was more appropriate,"

"How do you even know if I have one?" Tommy asked darkly.

"I'll take the chance," she said dropping the gun and putting it away in her purse. She then stretched out on Tommy's bed, turned on her side and propped her head up with her hand to look up at him. Tommy gladly jumped on the bed and mirrored her position.

"If you hate it here, why did you come back?" she asked curiously.

"If I wasn't looking for Tempest I wouldn't have come back," he mumbled to himself but Helena heard him.

"Tempest? What do you want with them?" she asked concerned.

"You know who they are?" he asked surprised.

"Sort of," she admitted. "I've heard my father complain about them pushing him around. Based on certain conversations I was able to list a few names."

She sat up reached for her purse and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. "These are the names I've been able to gather thus far," she said handing it to him.

He glanced at the paper and at the top of the list he saw **Malcolm Merlyn – Chairman**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Next chapter picks back up in the present and a very tense conversation between Oliver and Tommy.

**Author's Note:**

> That's the first chapter. Thanks for reading. In terms of an updating schedule. There is none at the moment.


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